Girl on Fire
by AliceWonder555
Summary: Post-Mockingjay. It's about Katniss, and all of her weird emotions, and choices she has to make about people. Slightly AU for things like Peeta's brother, and certain events happening out of order.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Katniss's POV

I wake up to the sounds of dishes clanking downstairs. I groan, and roll over, burying my face in my pillow and wrapping my blanket tightly around myself. I pretend not to hear him coming up the stairs. Without knocking, he comes in, sets something on the bed behind me, and comes over to me, brushes the hair out of my face, and kisses me on the cheek.

"Katniss? Hey, It's time to wake up."

I pretend to slowly start to wake up, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes. I sit up, and he sets a tray on my lap. It's filled with breads, and fruit. There is a glass of orange juice to the side. I look up at him.

"Peeta. You really didn't have to do this."

"Well, I figured you needed..."

"Breakfast?" I ask skeptically.

"Uh.. Yeah" He says, scratching the back of his head, blushing.

I smile and roll my eyes.

"Well, I can't eat it all on my own. Care to join me?"

He smiles, and comes to sit next to me on the bed. I start eating a warm roll, and he heads towards a bunch of grapes. We eat in silence for a while, while I try to figure out exactly why Peeta was here. Then I remember. _Nightmares._

"What were they about?" I ask him.

He shrugs. "You didn't say."

"What time did you come over?"

"Around two. I had to run, lucky your door is unlocked. You were going to wake up the whole neighborhood."

"It was that bad?"

His sigh answers it all.

"Damn."

"Hey, maybe you should talk to someone about this, see if you can maybe get help?

"Ha! Open up, talking to a complete stranger about my deepest darkest worries and fears." I stand up.

"Not gonna happen"

He sighs. "Fine. I'm gonna go back over to my house, I'll be right next door if you need anything."

"Thank you, Peeta." I say curtly.

Peeta walks out, and I feel a twang of regret, being so rude to him.

_No._ I thought. _I can't lead him on. We had to pretend to be in love, but the victory tour is over, there;s nothing else we need to pretend for. _

I sigh, and look through my closet. I pull out a pair of jeans, plain black t-shirt, and a light jacket. I run downstairs and grab my quiver and bow off the kitchen table, lace up my boots, and I'm out the door. I walk through town, greeting people I pass, making a beeline for the woods. The fence is never on now. The only reason it's still standing is because it keeps the animals out. I crawl under it, and run into the woods.

I walk along a path that only I know, leading to a tree. My tree. It is huge, easily climbable, and form the top you can see everything- My old house, the Vector's village, the bakery. I wonder how much time Peeta spends there now.

_No! Why do you keep thinking of him? I mean, it's not a bad thing. Is it?_

I shake the thoughts out of my head, and look around. I see flocks of birds, several squirrels, chipmunks, rabbits, and even a deer. Not needing to hunt, I lean back, and close my eyes, listening to the sounds around me. My favorite noise.

Slowly, I fall asleep. I don't realize it's a dream, because I'm sitting in the same position as the one I fell asleep in, sitting in a tree. I'm attached to the tree, tied to it. I'm back in the arena, and I'm looking down at the disfigured body of Glimmer. Suddenly, I hear a quiet humming, growing louder. I realize it's tracker jackers, and start thrashing around, trying to untie myself. But it seems the more I try, the tighter the rope gets. Soon, I'm surrounded my the buzzing insects, screaming as I get stung repeatedly, all over.

Suddenly, I'm shaken awake. My eyes are foggy.

"Peeta?" I ask groggily.

Before I know it, I'm pulled into a hug.

"It's okay Katniss. I was out here, I heard you screaming, I climbed the tree and..." I hold him tighter, glad to have him there.

"Thank you, Gale."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Katniss's POV

After I stop shaking, Gale and I climb down the tree, and walk around a bit.

"So, what brings you to this neck of the woods?" He says with a wink.

"I was going to ask you the same thing," I say, pulling an arrow out of my quiver, and loading my bow, ready to shoot at any moment. "I thought this was my special place."

"If you really think you're the first, and only person to wander around here, you've got another thing coming, Catnip."

"Oh? Do you speak with many other illegal hunters?" Illegal. Nobody gave a damn about the hunting laws around here anymore.

"Only the people I bring here myself." He says, and I can hear by the catch in his voice that he instantly regretted what he said.

"You've got lot of other partners, eh Hawthorne?" I say with false amusement. I hope it came out real sounding.. I don't know why the thought of that would bother me.

"No, Katniss! It's not like that I-" But he's cut off by my laughter.

"Gale! Chill! I really don't care. It's okay."

He fakes a laugh, and we walk quietly for a while. Every once and I while I'll see or hear something, but not well enough to shoot. But then I find myself looking for an excuse to break the silence. I catch sight of a squirrel, abruptly stop, and shoot at it. I hit it just where I wanted-the eye- and kill it instantly. I jog up, and pick it up. I stick it in Gale's game bag, because I didn't bring mine, and clean off my arrow.

I look up and around, wondering how deep into the forest we are.

"We probably should get headed back."

Gale nods in agreement, and we head back. On the way home we get a couple more squirrels, and a rabbit. Plus whatever he had caught before running into me.

By the time we reach my house it's dark, and our stomaches are rumbling.

"Want to come in for dinner?" I blurt out. _Where the HELL did THAT come from?_

"Uh, sure." he says, and we step inside.

I set my gear next to the door, as does he. He pulls a couple of animals out of the game bag, and sets them on the table. I asses the pile, and look at him, hand on my hips.

"I'm thinking stew."

Gale starts skinning and cleaning the animals, while I bring a pot of water to a boil, and start chopping the vegetables. I look through all of the cabinets. They're filled with spices, most of which I don't recognize the names of. I throw this and that into he water until I like the taste, then add everything else. Looking on the cupboard, I see two loves of bread. I saw a note attached to them, "-Peeta". I fold the note and set it aside.

I dish out the stew, and we sit down to eat with a plate of cut up bread.

"Uh Katniss?"

"Yeah?" I ask, my mouth already full of stew.

"Are we gonna get something to drink?"

"Oh!" I say, swallowing, and wiping my mouth off with my sleeve. "What do you want?" I ask, walking over to the fridge. "Milk? Water?"

"Got any booze?"

"What?" I asked, shocked.

"What? We can drink it, I mean, we're of legal age."

"Since when does Gale Hawthorne like to get drunk?"

"Drunkenness comes form drinking too much. We'll limit ourselves."

_WOW._ I think. _Well, why not? What harm could it do, just a little, right?_

I look around, and find the liquor cabinet.

"What would you like, Haymitch?" I ask with a wink.

"Hmm... Wine." I raise my eyebrows at his choice, but oblige, pulling out a bottle. I grab two glasses, and pour it for each of us.

I've only been drunk once, mind you, And that was right before the Quarter Quell. My face sqizzled with the bitter taste of the stuff. I tried to hide it, but apparently I didn't do to well, judging by the amused look on Gale's face. He, however, seems to drink it effortlessly. We start talking, about what, I don't remember. All I recall is somehow sitting on my couch, whole bottle of wine in hand, passing it back and forth. Something was funny, because we were laughing. And then we stopped, and Gale started looking at me funny.

"What? Is there something wrong with my face?" I asked him, laughing again.

"No," He said quietly. "There's absolutely nothing wrong with it."

Then Gale leaned in and kissed me.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Hey! I don't know if this is any good, so If could could please let me know how to improve/where you think things should go/what I need to improve on/If I should just stop writing the story because it's complete crap, PLEASE DO! **

Chapter 3

Katniss's POV

I was surprised by this, and pulled back.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have-" he says, standing up.

"No, Gale, it's okay."

"It was uncalled for. You're right, alcohol was a bad idea." He starts to walk towards the door.

"Please," I say, taking his hand. "Stay." I don't even know what I'm saying now. It's certainly not me talking.

He sits back down, and I give him a hug. I lay next to him, and fall asleep quickly.

I wake up in the middle of the night, and Gale is nowhere to be found. I stumble up the stairs to my bed, and pass out again.

I don't wake up until noon of the next day, and when I do, I run straight for the bathroom. I throw up until there's nothing left, then drag myself back to bed. _ This happens every time you drink, Katniss. You should probably know by now that it's a shitty idea._

I lie there for a while, thinking.

_Why did Gale kiss me? Why did I ask him to stay? Must've been the alcohol. And why am I so against liking Peeta?_

Almost as if on cue, I hear a knock on my front door. I half walk, half crawl down the stairs, and pull the door open.

"Katniss! You look horrible!"

"Thanks" I mumble as I walk into the kitchen, leaving the door open. Peeta takes this as an invitation, and walks inside, shutting the door behind him.

I sit at the table, and slump my head down into my arms. He comes over, and rubs my back. I don't pull away, I welcome the warm feeling.

"Why'd you stop in?" I ask, getting up and moving to the couch.

"I don't know. I didn't come last night, because I didn't hear any screams. I suppose that's a good thing."

He laughs dryly, and comes to sit next to me on the couch. I put my head in his lap, and he starts playing with my hair.

"I didn't really dream last night, too drunk, I guess."

He sighs, "Katniss? Really, drinking again?"

"Yeah. Well, it wasn't even my idea. I was cooking dinner, and Gale suggested-" but I immediately knew I had said the wrong thing. Peeta tensed up at the sound of his name, and let go of my hair.

"Oh. Well, I guess you didn't need me last night then, he kept you company?"

"Not for long. I fell asleep, and when I woke up he was gone. He was probably embarrassed about the..." _Shut up, Katniss! Shut up!_

"The what? He left you alone after the what?" His tone was slightly angry now.

"Nothing, Peeta. He just needed to get home to his mom, I guess. Probably not doing too well, after the combination of my cooking and booze hit his stomach." I laugh, trying to cover up for my mistake. Thankfully, he laughs as well, and resumes playing with my hair.

We sit there for a while, and I fall asleep. Again. When I wake up, the sun is just setting, and I have a prefect view of it out of my window. I look around, and realize there's no Peeta. _Great. _I think glumly. _I've been ditched by two guys in the last 24 hours. _

Just as I'm considering it's something about me, and start to cautiously sniff my hair, Peeta walks out form around the corner from the other room.

"Oh, hey." I say. "I'd begun to think you'd left me here."

"Nope, just doing some... Housekeeping." I raise an eyebrow, but don't question it further.

I turn back to the doors as Peeta sits down, and I snuggle up next to him. _What's with the sudden need for physical contact Everdeen? Well, perhaps I haven't really given him a fair chance. _I look outside.

"Sunset." I say quietly.

"My favorite color." he murmurs, looking out the doors. We sit there for a while, watching birds flit around the garden. I open a book, and he gets up and cooks me dinner. When I get up to eat, and I see what he meant by "housekeeping. The entire kitchen practically shines. Clean counters, and al clean dishes, (except for those recently used to make dinner." I smile, and sit down at the table.

"Mmm. Mac and cheese."

He smiles. We eat, and it seems to be the most delicious thing I've ever tasted, and I tell Peeta that. He blushes.

"Thanks."

After dinner, we cleaned up, and went upstairs. I flopped down on the bed sighing, and he laid down next to me.

"What's wrong?" He asks.

"Nothing." I lie, Gale on the mind. "Just... Tired."

"Tired?" He asks, propping himself up on an elbow. "Well, I think I know something that'll wake you up."

"And what is that?" I ask, looking at him doubtfully.

He reaches out his hand, and I think he's going to kiss me. Then it flies towards my stomach, and he starts tickling me.

"Peeta! Peeta!" I scream between laughs. "Stop it! Stop!"

He's laughing too, now.

"I... Will.. KILL... You!" I threaten, but my laughter makes it very unconvincing.

Finally, mercifully, he stops. When I stop panting, I roll over, and smack him on the arm.

"Don't you EVER do that again. Got it?"

"Fine." He says, with a huge boyish grin on his face.

I get up, and go to the closet. I pull out a shirt and pair of pajama pants, and go into the bathroom to change. When I come back out, teeth and hair brushed, clothes changed, he's sitting on the bed in sweatpants.

"Where'd you get the... pants?"

"Oh, I left a pair over here form a while ago."

"Oh, okay." I climb into bed. "So, you're planning on staying?"

He blushes. "Oh, I just figured... I mean, if that's okay with you... I can go change."

I smile. "I was joking."

"Oh."

I lay down, and close my eyes. I feel Peeta's arms wrap around me, and I feel a sense of warmth, and protection. I slowly fall asleep.

Peeta's POV

I wake up before she does. I smile at the thought of yesterday. _Does she really like me? I mean, she was __pretty lovey-dovey yesterday. It was probably just her hangover. _I climb out of the bed, careful so as not to disturb anything. I go downstairs, planning on making a quick breakfast, but I notice the clock, and realize I have to be at work in 3 minutes. I quickly leave Katniss a note, and run out the door, to the bakery.

When I walk in I find my brother waiting behind the counter with a smile on his face.

"You're in the same clothes as yesterday. Have a little sleepover with little miss Katniss last night?"

I feel myself blush. "No, it's not like that."

He laughs, and takes off his apron. "I've got stuff to do today. You'll have to man the shift yourself."

I start to argue this, but he's already out the door. I mumble, and pull on the flour-stained apron. I set up the glass case, filling it with the best looking confections from the back, and start to ice a cake. Costumers come in and out, some coming in just to look, some buying things. Not until I'm putting the finishing details on the cake does a face stand out of the crowd. I hear the bell ring, and look up, and I find myself staring into eyes I would recognize anywhere.

_Gale. _

**A/N: A longer chapter, a bit of fluff. And a semi-cliffhanger ending. Although, I'm finding a lot of chapters are ending with Gale...**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Peeta's POV

"Hey, baker boy." Said Gale, who for some reason had a big, goofy smile spread across his face.

"Gale." I say, my eyes focused back on my cake.

"My mom sent me for..." He pauses, looking at a list, "Two loaves of bread, and the cake she ordered."

I go into the storage room, and look through our orders. I see the box labeled, "Hazelle Hawthorne", and go back out.

"So," He said as I retrieve the bread, "Been hanging around with Katniss lately?"

I stand up with the bread, and shrug, "Yeah. I visited her yesterday."I start to bag up the bread.

"What did you two talk about?" He said, his grin slightly growing.

"How you got her drunk." I say with distaste. "That'll be ten even." He hands me the money, takes the bag, and just as he's on his way out says:

"She tell you about how she kissed me?"

I freeze, and hear him walking back down the road, laughter booming.

Katniss's POV

I wake up to ind Peeta not there. Again. I venture downstairs, and I see a note and read it.

_Katniss, _

_Had to run to work. Will return around 5! Sorry!_

_-Peeta_

I look at the clock. 2:30. How did I sleep so late? I sigh, and walk over to the couch. I try to read, but can't focus on the words on the page. I lose it, set it on the coffee table, and think.

_Peeta. He was so nice yesterday. Do you like him? Why not? He's the nicest you'll get. Do you like Gale? He ditched you! Plus, he;s more of the brotherly figure. Or has he become more than that?_

I grumble, and turn on the television. I flip through the channels, and not finding anything, I switch it off. It's raining, so I can't go hunting. How about cooking? I could cook a dinner for me. And maybe Peeta if he wanted to come over. What would I make? Plus, the last time I cooked, it didn't go over too well. Well, I needed something to distract myself.

I go to a giant recipe book in the kitchen, and flip through it. I come across a recipe for chicken and vegetables. I look through the fridge and find everything I need. It's odd. For some reason the cabinets and refrigerator are always stocked in the vector's houses. It's so different than when I was a child.

I gather everything up and lay it on the table. I start cooking, finding it relaxed me. Something I could concentrate on. Finally, by 4:30, I'm all done.

_Good, that'll give me time to get ready. _

I run upstairs, and quickly shower. I dry, and change into a nice pair of pants and a shirt. I run back downstairs, and see that it's 5:00 exactly. I set the table, with the food, fill our glasses with _water_, not making that mistake again... Deciding to be decorative, I light a couple of tall candles, and set them int the center of the table. I sigh contentedly and sit at the table.

5:20

I get up, and wash the dishes. _He just had some extra work! It's just 20 minutes, Katniss. It takes at least that long to walk there form here. _I knew it didn't, though.

5:40

Done washing the dishes, I sit back down. I tap my fingers lightly on the table.

6:00

He just went home, had to change, shower. Probably dirty after all that... Baking. I sigh, and slump my head down onto the table. _Why do you even care? Stop being so possessive. The other day you shunned him, now you're cooking for him. Make up your mind!_

6:20

I get up, and re-wash the dishes, then dry them and put them all away. I go to the bathroom, fix my hair, and decide on a different shirt.

6:45

I sigh, and blow out the candles. I decide I'm not hungry, and go upstairs to bed. It's early, but I just need to lie down. I decide I will take this time to make up my mind about Peeta and Gale.

_Peeta, a strong sweetheart who genuinely loves me. Gale, the friend who has been there fro me forever, but only showed his feelings after I was taken. But was I really taken? And what was that kiss the other day? Does Gale like me? Do I even like him? I'm pretty sire I like Peeta, I mean, I cooked a dinner for him. A dinner he didn't show up for. _

Tears sting my eyes at the thought. I don't know why. Maybe I really do like him. I mean, what's not to like? His beautiful blue eyes, his willingness to com over to comfort me every night...

I wrap my arms around myself, squeeze my eyes shut, and try to steady my breathing. _WHY AM I ACTING LIKE THIS?_

I barely hear the front door open. I gasp, and sit up. I wipe my eyes, and comb my hair with my fingers. I walk over to the bedroom door, and brace myself.

Peeta's POV

5:30

_Where is he? It isn't fair of him to make me wait like this. And what did Gale mean, "she kissed me"? Was he lying? Did he actually kiss her? She didn't say anything about that._

I shake my heads rid of the thoughts as a costumer walks in, asking about cookies.

6:00

I'm growing bored as the woman questions me about the types of flour we use in our sugar cookies, and why we don't make dark chocolate chip cookies. Finally, she chooses to bring home three oatmeal cookies, and, mercifully, I'm alone again.

6:30

I'm really mad by now, with the combination of the fact that I'm stuck here until closing time, mixing with the voices battling in my head about Katniss. I try to focus on baking another tray of cookies for tomorrow, but they are done all too quickly, and I'm sitting in the quiet again, watching the clock tick.

7:00

The very second it turns to 7, I'm throwing off my apron, switching the sign from open to close, an blocking the door, and running back home. When I reach her door I pause before letting myself in. I look around, seeing a giant dinner laid out on the kitchen table, places set, candles looking freshly extinguished.

"Katniss?" I call out. She comes down the stairs, and it's apparent she's been crying.

She sniffs. "You're late." She smiles, but I see the tear rolling down her cheek.

I run over to her, and hug her tightly. She hugs back, and I hear her crying.

"Shh, shh, it's okay." I kiss the top of her head. "Did you make all this?" I ask gently.

"Yeah." she says, breaking away, looking down. "I thought maybe you'd like some dinner. It's all cold by now-" But I cut her off, tilting up her head.

"I'm sorry I'm late. I had to cover my brother's shift. I came here as soon as I could have." I stroke her hair.

"Well." she says. "Why don't we eat, then."

Chapter 5

Peeta's POV

We eat in silence.

"Are you upset?" I ask.

"No." She answers too quickly, never taking her eyes off her plate.

I sigh. We eat for a while longer. I finally break the silence.

"Gale stopped by the bakery today." I say. Katniss freezes, for midair. "He said something interesting."

She sets down her fork, and wipes off her mouth with her napkin.

"Did he? And what was that?"

"That you kissed him the other night." I say, quieter.

"What?" She slams her napkin down on the table. "I did not! HE leaned in and kissed ME!"

"But there was kissing?"

"Yes! What do you care?"

"Well," I say calmly, "first off, you lied to me."

"I did not lie to you! I just... Avoided telling you."

"Why?" I ask, but I don't get an answer. I slowly stand up, push in my chair, and walk to the door. I open it, but hesitate before leaving.

"You should have told me. I would have rather heard it from you than from him." I step outside.

"Peeta, wait-" But I close the door, and walk over to my house.

Katniss's POV

I stay there, looking after the door, as if he'll come back. _Why didn't I tell him?_ I get up and start to clean up dinner. I turn off the lights in the kitchen afterwards, slowly climb the stairs, and go into the bathroom. Even though I've already taken a shower today, less than 2 hours ago, I crawl back into the tub, and run the warm water until I'm chin deep. I just lie there, breathing in the fragrant bath oils that have been dispensed. I block out all thoughts as I close my eyes, and slip under the water...

**A/N: I loved this chapter! I won't upload for a while- I'm going off for the weekend. Please R and R! **


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Sorry, I noticed the whole "chapter 5" misspelling, and here's the REAL chapter 5, and sorry I haven't published in so long! Thanks all for subscribing! 3 R&R**

Chapter 5

Katniss POV

I'm running. In the woods. I hear something coming up behind me, fast. I try my hardest to stay ahead, but it's gaining on me.

I nearly trip off the cliff I've suddenly come up on, and stand there, panicked, because whatever it is, it's close. I suddenly figure out I'm back in the games. I remember Haymitch's games, with the force field around the arena, and I fling myself off the cliff, knowing I'l bounce back up, hopefully somewhere else. But I keep falling, and falling. I see the ground, inches form my face...

I stand up in the tub, gasping for air. I pull my hair out of my face, and drain the tub. I don't even bother to towel myself off, I just pull on a big t-shirt and shorts, then crawl into bed.

I wake up in the morning, and not seeing Peeta I figure I slept well. Either that, or he didn't bother coming over.

Peeta POV

After leaving Katniss's house, I slam my door shut. I rake my fingers through my hair, then hit a vase off of a small table. _Why didn't she tell me? And why did he lie to me? Surely he's not jealous, she's not interested in me at all. _I scream, and throw a glass across the room.

Fuming, I storm up the stairs. I throw off my day clothes, pull on sweatpants, flop down into bed, and turn on the TV. I flip through, finding a show with two obviously flamboyant men, trying to figure out which wedding dress a woman should wear. _Just like the capitol voted on Katniss's dress. _I switch the channel until I come across a show about how to properly cook a chicken. I sigh disgustedly, remembering dinner, and turn the TV off.

I lie on my back, trying to fall asleep for most of the night, staring at the ceiling. I fall asleep slowly, but I'm awoken by the sounds of Katniss screaming. Instinctively, I start to get up, but for some reason force myself to stay put. I can't go over. I'm not welcome. I pull a pillow over my head to drown out the noise, but even when her screams stop, it takes me ages to fall asleep again.

Katniss's POV

I throw on my jacket and a pair of jeans, not bothering to change my shirt. I tie my hair back into a ponytail, and go to get some breakfast. I stand in the kitchen, deciding I really don't want to cook again, and figure I'll eat later. Not hungry, anyway. I'm finding I'm not hungry quite often.

I walk outside, trying to get down the road as fast as possible. I break into a run as I leave my driveway, then a full on sprint when I hit the asphalt. By the time I reach the fence I'm panting, but I don't stop. I run until my legs feel like they're going to give out, and then I keep running. I don't stop until I reach a large stream. I slump down, take off my boots, and soak my feet in the cool water. I lay back, and pull my hair out of the ponytail. I comb my hair with my fingers, and look around. I don't see anything, really. A few very small birds, and maybe a chipmunk, but other than that...

Im startled by the snap of a twig behind me. I whip my head around, and find myself face-to-face with one of the last people I'd want to see right now. I just can't escape him anywhere, can I?

"Gale." I say, and push him away.

"Hey, don't be sour, Catnip." He says smiling.

"Why shouldn't I be? Peeta came over to my house last night." His smile disappears. For some reason, I'm glad it does.

"Did he?"

"Yes. And he told me you said I kissed you!"

There't that damn smile again.

"Well, you did!"

"I DID NOT! YOU kissed ME!"

"I beg to differ." He said, stepping closer. "But," He started, just inches away from me now, "Are you really going to lie and say you didn't like it?" His eyes were closed, and he was leaning in to me. I reached up, and slapped him as hard as I could have across the face.

I storm off, yelling behind me, "Gale Hawthorne you are a pig!"

I walk back home, but when I go to my doorway, for some reason, I turn on my heel, and march over to Peeta's house.

Peeta's POV

I'm in the living room, thumbing through a magazine when I hear the knocks. I peer out of the curtain and see Katniss. I go back to the magazine, but she keeps knocking. I sigh and get up. I walk to the front door, pull it open, and she nearly falls in on me.

"What?" I ask blankly, and then focus on a spot of paint on my shoes.

She takes a deep breath then begins.

"Yesterday you stormed out and I felt to bad, because I hadn't told you when I should have." She pauses, and I look up. I see the look of anger on her face has turned to that of sadness. She takes in another shaky breath, then starts up again.

"Then today, I went for a walk in the woods, and Gale was there, and he tried to kiss me, again, so I slapped him and ran here, and I'm so so sorry."

By now she has tears streaming down her face. I hate seeing her like this. I step forward, and pull her into a hug. She starts sobbing into my shirt, clinging to me.

"Hey, hey. Its okay."

When she calms down a little, she looks up at me with moist eyes. She stands up on tiptoe and kisses me.

Katniss POV

I kissed him. I don't know why I did it. I just... Kissed him. I was feeling upset, and he was comforting me. I had apologized, and he forgave me.

When we finally break away, his eyes are still closed. When he opens them, they show pain.

"What is it?" I ask.

"Katniss," he says with a sigh. He takes my hand, and brings me inside. He sits me down on the couch, sits down next to me.

"Look. I am so, so sorry Gale did that to you, he had no right."

I nod my head.

"And I know you didn't tell me because you didn't want to hurt me."

I nod my head again.

"But I also know that the reason you kissed me has nothing to do with actually wanting to. You're upset, and I'll be here for you. But I don't want your feelings to be... Misconstrued."

I look at him. "I don't understand. I.. I like you, Peeta."

"Katniss, you probably only think you like me."

"No! I actually do! Why don't you believe me?" I ask, now angry.

"Believe me, I want to believe you. But..."

"But what? What, Peeta?" I ask, standing up. "You know what? Never mind. Whe YOU make up YOUR mind on how you feel about ME, I will be at my house." and I walk out, and slam his fromt door behind me.

**A/N: PS I don't own The Hunger Games, and that makes me sad. But I love writing about the characters! PLEASE tell me what you think! :D **


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Peeta POV

I slump down on my couch, defeated.

_Maybe she really DOES like me. But if she does... I make a really stupid mistake. But if she doesn't, then I saved us both quite a bit of embarasment. _

I get up, and decide I want to visit Haymitch. Terminally single, I don't know how much help he'll be, but hey, it's worth a shot.

I let myself in, and find him at the kitchen table, drinking. _What did you expect?_ I walk over to him, and sit down.

"Arguing with the girl again?" He slurs.

"Yes. She says she likes me, and she _kissed_ me, but she's alsogot this whole thing going on with Gale, and-"

"She siad she likes you?"

"Yes."

"And you like her?"

"Obviously."

"Then why question it, boy? Go after her!"

"But-"

"No buts! Just go!" He motions towards the door, and I oblige. I walk over to Katniss's hosue, and knock on the door.

"Katniss?" I ask quietly. "Are you in there?" The door clicks open, and I enter. I see Katniss walk back ot the couch, and curl up. I go to sit next to her.

We sit there in silence for a minute beore she speaks up.

"Why don;t you believe I like you?" She sniffs.

"You've just had a rough day, and you're under a lot of stress-"

"You don't want me to like you, is that it?"

"No. Not at all, Katniss! In fact, quite the opposite!"

"Then why do you refuse to believe me?" She's in tears ow. "I really like you, Peeta. I really do!"

I lean over, and wrap my arms around her.

"Okay. I believe you. And I like you, too."

"I know." She says with a light smile, and tiptoes up and kisses me on the cheek.

Katniss POV

I wake up that morning to find mysef wrapped in Peeta's arms. I smile, enjoying the feeling, and close my eyes. I lay there, not quite asleep, until he wakes up. I roll over, and look at him. He smiles.

"Morning."

"Good morning."

"Still like me?" He asks.

"Absolutely."

"So..." he says with a smirk, "What is it that you like about me exactly?"

I roll my eyes, but go along with it. "Well, for starters, I love the fact that you have loved me forever. And how you came back to me, even after everything."

He smiles, enjoying this. "Go on."

"I love your paintings, and the way you look when you focus on your cakes. I love the way it feels when you wrap your arms around me to comfort me at night. I love everything about you, Peeta Mellark."

"And I love everything about you, Katniss Everdeen." He leans in, and kisses my eyes, nose, then lips.

I hug him tightly.

"What's for breakfast?" I ask after about a minute.

"I'm thinking... Waffles."

"Yum!"

He goes downstairs to start cooking, and I get dressed. I rifle through my clothes, and pull out three outfits:

A soft yellow dress

Simple jeans and a black T-shirt

Faded capri jeans and a light white tanktop with ruffles

I decide on the tanktop and capris, and pull them on. I go to the bathroom, and brush my hair, and quickly braid it. I run down the stairs, and find the table set with breakfast. Piles of waffles, bowls of fruit, tall pitchers of juice.

"Wow. You did all this in that short period of time?"

"Yeah. I mean, it's the least I could do."

"Do for what?" I ask, sitting down.

"You dating me."

"Oh!" I say, surprised. _I hadn't thought of it like that..._

"Oh! I mean, if that's okay with you... I just sort of assumed-"

"No, no. It's fine! It's perfectly alright with me!"

He smiles. "I'm glad."

_I am too. _I thought.

**A/N: So? PLEASE tell me what you think! What do you think should happen in the next chapter?**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: WARNING this chapter (at least a good portion of it) is pretty fluffy... **

Chapter 7

Katniss POV

We go to the meadow for the day. We arrive around 11:30. I spread a large blanket around on the soft grass while Peeta unpacks the picnic he packed. We sat in the sun for a long time, eating sandwiches and talking. After lunch, we just laid down and looked at the clouds. My head was on his stomach, and he was playing with my now unbraided hair.

"I never realized how beautiful it is out here." He said.

"I know. I used to spend all my time out here, but I never really thought of it as anything more than a way to get food."

We laid there in silence for a while before he speaks up.

"This... Is perfect."

"Yeah, it is." I smile.

"Have I ever told you how beautiful you are?"

"Yeah, I think you have. But you can some more if you want to."

He laughs.

"Have I ever told you how handsome you are?" I asked him.

"I don't think so. But I like the sound of it." He leans in and kisses me.

I move so my head is on his chest, and he wraps his arm around me.

"What did I do to deserve a girl like you?"

"Not much. You juts had to nearly die, then let me nurse you back to health in a cave, then get tortured, completely forget who I am, and come back."

"Oh. Right." He says, with a light laugh.

I get up and start picking flowers. I have quite a large bouquet when I return to the blanket, an dI sit there, making chains, crowns, sticking some in my belt loops, braiding some into my hair, even sticking a few in Peeta's. He smiles, watching me intently as I do this.

I lean back onto his chest. He plucks a flower out of the ground and tucks it behind my ear.

"Beautiful." He said gently. "Just like you."

He leans in slowly, and presses his lips against mine. We stay there for a while, tuning everything out except for each other. When we lay back down again, the stars are high in the sky, and fireflies are dancing around us. Peeta points out constellations to me, which are easily visible because of the clear night.

"And over there is Orion. See the bow he has raised?" He asks quietly

"Yeah, I do."

"He's the hunter."

"Like me." I say, my voice barely above a whisper."

"Yes, like you." He says, his cheek on the top of my head.

I fall asleep there, in Peeta's arms, and don't wake up until I feel him lift me up, and carry me home, and even them I'm still half-asleep.

When I wake up, for real, in the morning, I'm still wearing my clothes from yesterday.

I get up, and get dressed in long pajama pants and a large t-shirt that I have no idea where it came from. I walk downstairs, and don't find Peeta. I look for a note, figuring he's at the bakery, but don't find one. I go to the studio he has, the painting room, and find him staring at a canvas, brush in hand.

"Peeta?" I ask gently.

He doesn't respond, so I slowly walk over to him. His face is blank and expressionless.

"Hey, are you alright?" I look at the canvas, and see it's blank.

I gently set my hand on his shoulder. His face snaps to me.

"You." He says, standing up. I take a step back.

He is glaring at me, and his face has altogether gone dark. The brush in his hand snaps, and he throws it on the ground.

I back up even further. He slowly steps forward, and I step back. I turn to leave the room but he grabs me by the wrist with an iron grip.

"Ouch! Peeta, you're hurting me!" I say, trying to pull away. His grip tightens, and I try to break free of his grasp, hitting his hand.

"Peeta!" I say frantically. "Peeta, this isn't you! Please!"

"Help!" I scream. That's when he raises his hand and smacks me across the face. I feel an intense pain, and see him raise it again before I black out.

**A/N: Fluffy beginning, not so fluffy ending... What do you think should happen next? I'd love ****to know! Now, in reply to the 3 comments I have:**

**MGB504:**** Thank you very much!**

**Ilovethehungergamesbooks:**** It's pre-epilogue, and I'm sorta writing it, elaborating on the end. Does that make any sense? I also changed the plot a little, keeping Gale in the picture. **

**The Girl From The Seam:**** Aww! Thank you! I try to update at least once a day, and if I don't it's because I don't have access to my laptop! :)**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Not really much to say, I don't own the Hunger Games, blah blah blah. I woke up, and found I have 10 alerts and 6 faves. THANK YOU! :D :D This makes me sooo happy, I figured nobody would read this!**

Chapter 8

Katniss POV

I woke up in bed, and turned to look around, but my neck hurt so bad I couldn't move it. So I just laid there, staring at the plain white ceiling.

_Why does my neck hurt so bad?_ Then I remembered.

_Oh. Peeta. I know he has his flashbacks, but he's never hurt me before. _

I hear someone come in, and they walk over to the side of my bed.

"Katniss, you're awake." Peeta says, sounding tired.

"How long was I ask out?" I croak. It's hard to talk for some reason.

"A day." I can hear the pain in his voice. "Katniss, I am so, so sorry for what I did. I am such a horrible person for doing that-"

I turn, very painfully, to lock eyes with him, and I place a hand on his cheek, trying not to notice the bruises runnign up my arm.

"That wasn't you. That was the Capitol. That was Snow. You are here right now, with me."

"Well, I shouldn't be." He said.

"Don't say that!"

"I could... Hurt you, Katniss. And I dont want to do that again."

"This is the first time it's happened Peeta-"

"So who's to say it won't happen again?" He says, louder, angry now.

I don't have a response. He gets up to leave, but I grab his hand.

"Please." I whisper, my voice cracking. "Stay."

He sighs, and gantly lays on the bed next to me. He doesnt touch me at all, but I get as close to him as I can, enjoying his warmth. I slowly fall asleep.

Gale POV

I hear my mom and Sae talking in the kitchen.

"Had another spell, I hear." Mom mutters, hushed, like people aren't supposed to hear.

"Yes. Gave her quite the beating. Poor girl."

_Katniss._ I think, infuriated. But I stay there and listen.

"Yes. Lucky Haymitch wasn't passed out drunk, or he wouldn't-a heard her screaming."

"Oh, dear!" Mom says.

_She needed to cry for help?_

"When he got there, he had to knock out the boy to get him to stop. She was out cold. He carried up to her room, and called me."

"Is she all right now?"

"I don't know. She hadn't woken up when I checked in on her this morning."

Enraged, I storm out of the house, and ran to her house, and tried to open it. Finding it locked, I pound on the door.

"Anyone in there? Open up!"

I'm about ready to kick the door down, when the door opens.

Peetas POV

I hear someone pounding on our door. I slowly get up to open it, and when I do, I'm greeted with a punch in the face.

"How DARE you?" He shouts.

I stand up, holding my nose, tryign to staunch the flow of blood.

"I deserved that." I say, looking at him.

"Yes you did." He says. "And you deserve this too." He reaches out and punches me again. "How could you do this? He asks, voice cold as ice.

"I don't know." I say, sitting down. "When I have my... Flashbacks, I's like I'm sleeping, everything is black, and I'm not in control of my actions. And I hate myself for it."

"Where is she?" He says after a moment.

"Upstairs." I say weakly, and put my head back into my hands.

Gale POV

I run up the stairs, and throw open the bedroom door. She's lying there, bruises all along her arms, a black eye, several welts on her face, and a split lip. She's awake, and I see a tear rollign down her cheek.

"Katniss." I say, rushing over to her.

I hug her, but she winces.

"Ow. Gale..." but I let her go, and gently set her down on the pillow.

"He hurt you. How can you leven let him in your house?" I asked, angry.

"It's not his fault, Gale-"

"Yes it is," I say interrupting her. "Was it or was it not _Peeta_ who did this to you?"

"It wasn't him. I mean, he would never, ever-"

"But he did. It was his hands that hurt you."

She stays silent.

"You shouldn't be around someone like that." I say.

"I agree." I hear his voice form behind me.

"No!" Katniss says. "And what would you rather?" She ass, locking eyes with me. "Be with someone who kisses me, leaves me, then tries again?"

I feel my cheks redden. "I'm better for you than him and you know it."

She turns away, and I can see her wince from the pain. "Gale" Her voice cracks, "I think it's best if you leave now."

"Katniss, I-"

"GO!" She yells, and I oblige.

Peetas POV

I walk over to her, next to the bed, and kneel down. She's crying. I gently wipe a tear away from her cheek.

"Hey, hey. It's going to be alright. Okay?" She nods her head, and motions for me to lay next to her. I do, and she snuggles close, burying her face in my chest.

"I'll never hurt you again, Katniss. Even if it means I have to-"

"No!" She yells, and the sudden loud noise takes me off guard. "You won't leave. You promised." She's crying even harder now, and I rub her back, trying to console her.

"It's going to be all right." I say, and leave it at that, I don't say anything else.

I don;t have any more spells over the course of the next two weeks, and I slowly nurse Katniss back to health. The cut on her lip was the first to go, the brusies faded, and she could get up and move around. She didn't like being stuck in bed.

"Peeta." She says one day as we're wrapped up on the couch, under a blanket.

"Yes?" I ask.

"I want to go hunting. Soon."

"Good. How about tomorrow?"

"Alone." She says.

"I didn't think I was going to tag along. I think it'd be good for you. Fresh air, a chance to strech your legs."

"I'm glad you're okay with it." She says, hugging me.

I kiss the top of her head.

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"Well, I thought you'd at least want to... Chaperone."

"And why would I want that? I'd scare away everything."

"Well, we wouldn't want a run in with the rare wild Hawthorne." She said with a slight laugh.

"Oh. Right."

"What?" she said, sounding worried. "Are you uncomfortable with letting me go?"

"No, not at all!" I say. "I know you're _more _than capable of defending yourself."

"Good." She said.

**A/N: Yay! A bit of a longer chapter... As usual, I'm curious to know what you thought! PLEASE R&R! **

**Poll: What did you think of the movie?**


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

**A/N: I got another review, and it made me soooo freaking happy that I'm just gonna write another chapter! I love you all! 3 *hug!***

Katniss POV

I get up early the next morning, careful not to wake Peeta up. I dress quickly, stuff a cheese bun in my mouth, and leave, closing the door gently behind me.

I tromp into the woods, leaves crunching under my boots. I walk along until I come to the pond. The pond set in the large field with the large tree that my father and I It's a clear warm day, so I strip down to my underwear, and go swimming. The water is cool, but not too cold.

I float on my back, floating into the lilly pads, and picking one, toying with it as I swim around slowly. I pluck the petals one by one, and let them float around me. The warm breeze blows them away, and I just lie there, listening to the sounds of the pond.

Birds singing happily in the trees, darting from branch to branch. The sounds of the crystal clear water flowing from the rocky brook into the pond.

I float for what seems like hours, blissfully happy. By the time I get out, I'm shriveled like a prune.

I dress, and re-enter the thick woods. I sit, perched in a tree, waiting for something to come by. I see a doe, and aim for it, but when I see the little fawn walking along behind it, I lower my bow. The graze for a while. They look so peaceful, and I just sit there, watching them for a while. When they finally leave, I get down, and start walking home, noticing it was dark.

When I reach the meadow, I see something moving around. I get closer, and see it's a turkey.

_How'd that get in here?_ I wonder, but shoot it, and bring it home.

I walk up the steps, and knock on the door, finding it locked.

Peeta opens it, with a broad smile on his face. He kisses me on the cheek.

"Haven't seen you all day." He says.

"May I come in?" I say jokingly, because he's blocking my path, putting himself right in the crack of the door, leaving me on the steps.

I lift up the turkey.

"I brought-" But I'm cut off, noticing the huge meal on the table over Peeta's shoulder. He steps out of the way, and I walk over to it.

There are bowls of pretty much every and any vegetable you'd ever want- Green beans, corn, peat, potatoes, (baked and mashed,) and a large salad. There is a small Ham in the center of everything, surrounded by a gravy boat and various other sauces.

"Peeta." I breathe. "How did you..."

"I had a lot of free time today." I turn and hug him.

"It looks delicious!'

"Then let's dig in!" he says, smiling.

I try to pace myself as I start to eat the food I've piled on my plate. I don't know how I managed to eat it all, but I had three platefuls. The I remember I hadn't eaten anything all day.

"That was... Delicious!" I say, patting my stomach.

"Thank you! You seemed to enjoy it." He said with a wink.

We clean up dinner, wash the dishes, then go up to bed. He crawls under the covers, and I tell him I'm going to take a shower.

I strip down, finding my underclothes still damp, and step into the steaming water. I stand there for a while, letting the water run over me. I shampoo and condition my long hair.

_Hmm. _I say, noticing the shaggy ends. _I need a trim. _

I go back to showering, and wash my body. I look down at my legs, and wonder why I don't need to shave them.

_Must've been something about losing most of my skin._ I think, almost sarcastically. _Took away my ability to grow leg hair. Bummer. _I roll my eyes at the last part.

When I'm done, I step out, and towel myself dry. I pull on my usual big t-shirt and shorts, and brush the tangles out of my hair.

When I walk back into the bedroom, I find Peeta is awake.

"Hey, why didn't you go to bed?" I ask, walking over to him.

"I wanted to talk to you!" He said. "How was your day?"

"It was great." I say, crawling under the sheets. "I went swimming, and saw a deer."

"Oh, fun." he says, not paying attention, but focusing on a piece of my hair.

"You're not even listening!" I say.

"Yes, yes I am. Swimming, and something about beer?"

"Close enough." I say, and he pulls me closer to him. I lay my head on his chest, as he rubs the fabric of the shoulder of my shirt between his fingers.

"Why do you wear this shirt so often?" He asks.

"I don't know. It's comfortable, I guess. Why?"

"Because it's mine." he says with a grin.

"It is?" I ask. "How did it get here?"

"I don't know. I left it here one night, I guess."

"Well, do you want it back?" I ask.

"No, no. It looks good on you." He says.

And we lay there. He kisses the top of my head.

"Goodnight Katniss."

"Goodnight." I mumble, already mostly asleep.

I can't quite make out what he says after that but I think it's "I love you"

**A/N: I know, short, but I REALLY wanted to update tonight! Hope you liked!**

**Another Poll:**

**Team Peeniss/Katpiss? (LOL I HATE THE NAMES!) Or team Kale/Galeniss?**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: I had some trouble getting this up, so, I hope it works!**

Chapter 10

Katniss POV

I'm walking around the woods. Nothing is out of the blue, birds tweeting, squirrels running, leaves rustling. But suddenly everything goes silent.

The wind starts to blow harder. The air grows cooler, and clouds cover the sun. The wind screams in my ears as I run, seeing the trees stretch, and grow hundreds of feet taller, with jagged branches sticking out in every direction.

The limbs reach out at me, as if they were arms, tearing my clothes and scratching my face. Suddenly I see Peeta in front of me.

I run to him, but a wall of thorns grows between us. I scream his name, sensing he's in danger. I claw at the thorns, trying to break through them. My hands hurt so bad, but I won't stop. When I finally break through to him, the rest of the wall melts away. I step forward to Peeta, but I stop short when I see Snow, standing behind him.

He has a hand placed on Peeta's shoulder. He smiles, and then his eyes turn completely black, and thick, deep red blood pours out of his mouth. His eyes turn into slits, and his skin scales over. He thins out dramatically, and turns into a giant, slithering, red and black snake.

He hisses at me, and slithers over to Peeta. He starts to climb up his back, working his way around his neck. He bites him, and then coils the rest of himself around Peeta, suffocating him. I scream Peeta's name, and try to run for him. But with each step I take towards him, it seems he gets ten steps away.

I'm running now, until I see something coming. It's Snow, the snake. I turn and run for my life, but he's too fast. I try to kick and scratch but it does nothing. I feel him coiling around me slowly, hissing in my ear.

"_The boy is mine! You'll never get him back. Even now that I'm dead, I will forever have a grip on him. Face it, Everdeen. You've lost him. Forever..."_

I scream and thrash, but he tightens his grip.

"No! You can't take him! I won't let you!"

He's shaking me now.

"Katniss!" He says. "Katniss!" Wait, that's not Snow... That's Peeta!

"Katniss!" He says, and I open my eyes. Peeta is above me, pinning my arms and legs down with his own. He's panting, and I can see he's ben trying to wake me up for a while.

"Oh, Peeta." I whimper, and clutch him close.

He smooths my hair, and whispers in my ear in a soothing tone.

"Everything's alright. It's gonna be okay. I'm here, and always will be. It's okay..."

I don't fall asleep again, but when Peeta does, I lie there, looking at him. He looks happy, peaceful. I smile and kiss him on the nose. Then I wrap his arm around me, and get as close to him as I can.

Peeta POV

When I wake up, she turns to look at me.

"Did you get any sleep after your nightmare?" I asked.

"No." She said. "But that's okay. Sleep is for losers."

"Oh, and I suppose that makes me a loser?" I ask in mock offense.

"Why yes it does." She says, and kisses me on the cheek. "What do you want to do today?" She asks.

"Hmm... I was thinking I would... Build something."

"And what would that be?"

"A greenhouse."

"A greenhouse? Why?"

"Well, I was thinking it might be nice to-"

"Grow flowers? Manly." She says, getting up. "If you need me, carpenter loser boy, I will be downstairs."

"That's SIR carpenter loser boy to you!" I call after her, and laugh.

By the time I'm dressed, Katniss is at the kitchen table, stuffing her face with leftovers from last night.

"Did you even bother to heat it up?" I ask.

"No. It's good cold!" She said between mouthfuls. I rolled my eyes, and sat down.

"Are you gonna have some?"

"I'll pass, not hungry. I have to go to work, I'll steal a cookie." I say with a wink.

"Ooh, baking. Manly."

Katniss POV

When I was done teasing Peeta, He kissed my cheek, and left. I sit there trying to figure out what to do.

_Read? _

_Boring._

_Cook? _

_No, we have leftovers. _

_Hunt? _

_Did that yesterday. _

I walk upstairs, and brush my hair. I remember I need a haircut.

_How hard can it be?_

I open a drawer, and pull out a long, shiny pair of scissors.

I pull my hair between my fingers, and trim it a bit. I repeat this, and when I'm done, I look in the mirror. My hair is all different lengths. I shriek, and try to fix it, but wind up making things worse.

Thinking it could just be loose hairs, I take a shower. When I see a few hairs rinsing down the drain with the sweet-smelling foam, I feel a bit of relief.

I towel myself dry, and blow dry my hair. I wipe the mirror of steam, and see that it's still a mess.

Panicking and frustrated, I gather all my hair into a ponytail, and, holing my hair with one hand, and the scissors with another, I cut it all at once.

When I release it, it's all even and straight.

And it also now came down to just under my jaw.

**A/N: Sorry, A short chapter, I know. I'm writing as fast as I can! **

**Poll:**

**How many times have you seen the movie? (3 for me, I know, I'm pathetic)**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: I had some trouble getting this up, so, I hope it works! I had to combine 2 chapters to get it up!**

Chapter 10

Katniss POV

I'm walking around the woods. Nothing is out of the blue, birds tweeting, squirrels running, leaves rustling. But suddenly everything goes silent.

The wind starts to blow harder. The air grows cooler, and clouds cover the sun. The wind screams in my ears as I run, seeing the trees stretch, and grow hundreds of feet taller, with jagged branches sticking out in every direction.

The limbs reach out at me, as if they were arms, tearing my clothes and scratching my face. Suddenly I see Peeta in front of me.

I run to him, but a wall of thorns grows between us. I scream his name, sensing he's in danger. I claw at the thorns, trying to break through them. My hands hurt so bad, but I won't stop. When I finally break through to him, the rest of the wall melts away. I step forward to Peeta, but I stop short when I see Snow, standing behind him.

He has a hand placed on Peeta's shoulder. He smiles, and then his eyes turn completely black, and thick, deep red blood pours out of his mouth. His eyes turn into slits, and his skin scales over. He thins out dramatically, and turns into a giant, slithering, red and black snake.

He hisses at me, and slithers over to Peeta. He starts to climb up his back, working his way around his neck. He bites him, and then coils the rest of himself around Peeta, suffocating him. I scream Peeta's name, and try to run for him. But with each step I take towards him, it seems he gets ten steps away.

I'm running now, until I see something coming. It's Snow, the snake. I turn and run for my life, but he's too fast. I try to kick and scratch but it does nothing. I feel him coiling around me slowly, hissing in my ear.

"_The boy is mine! You'll never get him back. Even now that I'm dead, I will forever have a grip on him. Face it, Everdeen. You've lost him. Forever..."_

I scream and thrash, but he tightens his grip.

"No! You can't take him! I won't let you!"

He's shaking me now.

"Katniss!" He says. "Katniss!" Wait, that's not Snow... That's Peeta!

"Katniss!" He says, and I open my eyes. Peeta is above me, pinning my arms and legs down with his own. He's panting, and I can see he's ben trying to wake me up for a while.

"Oh, Peeta." I whimper, and clutch him close.

He smooths my hair, and whispers in my ear in a soothing tone.

"Everything's alright. It's gonna be okay. I'm here, and always will be. It's okay..."

I don't fall asleep again, but when Peeta does, I lie there, looking at him. He looks happy, peaceful. I smile and kiss him on the nose. Then I wrap his arm around me, and get as close to him as I can.

Peeta POV

When I wake up, she turns to look at me.

"Did you get any sleep after your nightmare?" I asked.

"No." She said. "But that's okay. Sleep is for losers."

"Oh, and I suppose that makes me a loser?" I ask in mock offense.

"Why yes it does." She says, and kisses me on the cheek. "What do you want to do today?" She asks.

"Hmm... I was thinking I would... Build something."

"And what would that be?"

"A greenhouse."

"A greenhouse? Why?"

"Well, I was thinking it might be nice to-"

"Grow flowers? Manly." She says, getting up. "If you need me, carpenter loser boy, I will be downstairs."

"That's SIR carpenter loser boy to you!" I call after her, and laugh.

By the time I'm dressed, Katniss is at the kitchen table, stuffing her face with leftovers from last night.

"Did you even bother to heat it up?" I ask.

"No. It's good cold!" She said between mouthfuls. I rolled my eyes, and sat down.

"Are you gonna have some?"

"I'll pass, not hungry. I have to go to work, I'll steal a cookie." I say with a wink.

"Ooh, baking. Manly."

Katniss POV

When I was done teasing Peeta, He kissed my cheek, and left. I sit there trying to figure out what to do.

_Read? _

_Boring._

_Cook? _

_No, we have leftovers. _

_Hunt? _

_Did that yesterday. _

I walk upstairs, and brush my hair. I remember I need a haircut.

_How hard can it be?_

I open a drawer, and pull out a long, shiny pair of scissors.

I pull my hair between my fingers, and trim it a bit. I repeat this, and when I'm done, I look in the mirror. My hair is all different lengths. I shriek, and try to fix it, but wind up making things worse.

Thinking it could just be loose hairs, I take a shower. When I see a few hairs rinsing down the drain with the sweet-smelling foam, I feel a bit of relief.

I towel myself dry, and blow dry my hair. I wipe the mirror of steam, and see that it's still a mess.

Panicking and frustrated, I gather all my hair into a ponytail, and, holing my hair with one hand, and the scissors with another, I cut it all at once.

When I release it, it's all even and straight.

And it also now came down to just under my jaw.

**A/N: Sorry, A short chapter, I know. I'm writing as fast as I can! **

**Poll:**

**How many times have you seen the movie? (3 for me, I know, I'm pathetic)**

**NEXT CHAPTER**

**A/N: I was asked a few questions earlier by bubblesxp, so I shall answer those!**

**1. is this before or after Katniss tells Peeta 'real'?**

**Before! :)**

**2. has Gale come back from district 2 or did he never leave?**

**Never left. I took some artistic liberty with that. **

**3. didn't peeta's brother die, or was that another one of my HG related**

**dreams?**

**Yes, Peeta's whole family died at the end of Catching Fire. Again, artistic liberty. :)**

Chapter 11

Peeta POV

At work, I have the usual costumers who stop in, and I ice two cakes, one for a boy's 6th birthday, and another one for the display case, and bake three batched of sugar cookies. I frost them, and put them in crinkly plastic bags tied with ribbon. At the end of the day, I bring home a bag for Katniss.

When I get home, call her name.

"Katniss! I brought you something!"

Not seeing her in the kitchen, or the living room, I jog upstairs to the bedroom, but she's not there. I walk back downstairs, running my hand through my hair.

_Hunting._ I think. _She just went for a walk._

I walk into the kitchen to get a glass of water, when I see something out of the corner of my eye. I walk into the living room, and find Katniss there, with a sweatshirt on. Her knees are up to her chest, with the sweatshirt pulled over them. Her hood is up, and her head is on her knees.

"Katniss?" I ask softly. I walk over to her, and start to lift her hood, but she pulls it back down over her head.

"Hey, what's wrong?" I ask, sitting next to her, rubbing her back. She lifts her head, and sniffs. She looks at me with tear filled eyes.

"I made a mistake." She says.

"What?"

She sniffs again, and pulls down her hood.

My eyes widen as I see what she was talking about.

"Did you cut it?" I ask.

"Yes." She says, pulling her hood back up, and burying her face back into her knees. "You hate it!" She says.

"No, Katniss." I say, pulling her hood back down. She looks at me. "You're overreacting. I think it's beautiful."

"You're lying."

"No. I am not. You always look beautiful."

She smiles slightly. "Thanks."

"I love you, Katniss."

She doesn't respond.

"That's okay, you don't have to say it back."

She nods, and hugs me. I hug her back, and sit there rocking her for a while. We walk outside into the garden, and sit on the stone bench. She puts her head on my shoulder.

We sit there and watch the sun set. It's a full moon that night, and the air is warm. Then, suddenly, it starts to rain.

I get up to run inside, and Katniss gets up too. When I get to the door, and open it, I ssee that insteaad of runin towards the house, she was runnign away from it, deeper into the garden. I s=run after her, shaking my head.

She is spinnign, laughing. She pulls down her hood,a nd tilts her face up to the sky. She laughs, and I laugh, and we spend the next I don;t know how long dangind and runnig in the rain. Somehow, we end up playing a game of hide and seek.

She's hiding, and I had my eyes closed. I had to shout to keep my voice above the rain. When I was finished counting, I whipped around.

I walked around all the bushes and beds of flowers, and walked around front of the house to the lawn. I was looking around, when I was tackled from behind.

I crashed to the ground, and when I rolled over to look at my attcker, and saw large, gary eyes staring beck at me.

"You have beautiful eyes." I said to Katniss.

She smiled, then started marcilessly tickling me.

I laughed, squirmed and screamed, but she wouldn't stop. Finally, I managed to roll on top of her, and pinned her arms to the ground.

"What was that?" I asked, panting.

"Payback." She said, beaming.

I get up off of her, and run.

But I'm tackled by her, again. We lie, side by side, laughing, rain pouring down on us. I turn to look at her, and remember when it rained once in the capitol, and Effie had large black lines running down her face when it got wet. But Katniss was flawless.

She turns on her side, facing me. I reach out, and touch her face. She holds my hand to her cheek, and kisses my palm.

She pulls herself closer to me. She looks at me, and says the words I've been waiting for what seems my whole life to hear.

"I love you."

**A/N: Holy crap! 11 reviews, 13 Faves and 17 alerts! I LOVE YOU GUYS SO MUCH! HUGS TO YOU ALL!**

**Poll:**

**Uh...**

**I don't know. **

**Oh!**

**Uh... I don't know. **

**POLL:**

WHAT SHOULD I DO FOR MY NEXT POLL?

**WHAT SHOULD I DO IN MY NEXT CHAPTER?**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: So, in case you missed it, Chapter 10 was all screwed up, and even when I copy and pasted it into another chapter it STILL didn't show up, so I posted it as a one-shot on my profile, in case you're interested! Thank you so much for reading, and I love you all! :D**

Chapter 12

Katniss POV

"I love you." I say to him. I wait for his reaction to come. I picture it in my head. Him not believing me, laughing it off. It triggering some sort of hijacked memory, but no.

Instead, Peeta pulls my face close to his, and kisses me.

It's unlike any kiss I've shared with him. It isn't faked, or staged. I don't TRY to kiss him, I just do.

His lips are warm, a welcome feeling in the cool rain. We only break apart when we have to breathe, and then he locks eyes with me.

"Are you sure, Katniss? I don't want to make you say-" But I cut him off with another kiss. It takes most of my strength, but I break away, and slowly stand up, grabbing his hand and pulling him up with me.

We go inside, and I get changed into warm, fuzzy pajamas. It's some sort of plush fabric, but they're the softest things I've ever felt, so I pull them on, and walk over to the bed. Peeta's sitting there in his usual "sweatpants without a shirt" look.

When I crawl under the covers, I cuddle close to him, and when I lay my hand on his chest, I feel how icy cold he is.

"Peeta! You need to put on a shirt, you're freezing!" I exclaim.

"I'm not cold." He says, shrugging.

I roll my eyes.

"Fine. Freeze to death." I say, laying back down, facing away from him. I close my eyes, but soon feel him behind me. He wraps his hands around my waist, pulling me closer.

"Oh no I won't. I have you to keep me warm." He murmurs into my ear, his chin resting on my shoulder.

I turn my head around.

"Fine." I say, and kiss him.

I settle back in, and close my eyes.

I hear a loud snap, and my eyes fly open. I sit up and look around.

I find myself in the middle of the woods, with my bow lying next to me.

_Must've fallen asleep while hunting. _

I walk around, and some to a big clearing. I squint my eyes against the glare of the sun, and when they adjust to the sudden brightness, I'm greeted with a sight that makes my blood run cold.

_The Cornucopia._

How did they got that into the middle of the woods in 12? I walk forward slowly, and see a table in front of it, with four backpacks sitting on it.

_Is this some sort of sick joke?_ I think, and walk up to the table. I zip open the backpack labeled "12"and unzip it.

Inside is the slim box containing the needle that kept Peeta alive. I zip the backpack back up, and stand there, look around.

_What the hell is going on?_

Out of the corner of my eye, I see something. It's a human. Running towards me.

I back up, trying to figure out who it is. Suddenly, something whizzes by my ear. It thunks on the ground behind me. I look at it. It's a knife

I suddenly recognize my attacker.

_Clove._

I am shocked, dazed and confused, but I load my bow, and aim it at her head. I release the arrow, and it hits her right in the chest.

"Not this time." I say.

I run and grab the backpack, and take off back into the woods.

_Okay Katniss. You're back in the games. This is some sort of dream, that's fairly clear. Now at this point in the games, your main priority was..._

_Peeta!_ I think, struggling to remember how to get back to the cave. I get lost a few times, but finally find it.

I dig through the crude wall of rocks, and crawl inside.

I stick Peeta with the needle, waking him up.

His skin is pale, and eyes sunken.

"You promised you wouldn't leave." he said.

I take his hand, and squeeze it. He's weak. I kiss his hand, and put it to my face.

"You were gone too long, Katniss. I was worried, and I got worse. I was scared you'd left me here for dead!"

"I would never, ever do that, Peeta. Okay?"

We hear two cannon booms.

We see the faces of Clove and Thresh projected into the sky.

_I wonder who killed Thresh._

I don't mention to Peeta that I killed Clove.

He falls asleep, but I can't.

_Well, you can't sleep in a dream._

I tried to wake myself up, but it wouldn't work. I was stuck here. We needed to win the games again.

I sat there, waiting for the sun to rise. And when it did, I focused on getting food for Peeta. I quickly shot a bird, and brought it back. I used up the remainder of the roots that were sitting there, and made a stew.

When Peeta woke up, I forced him to eat some of it. He was horribly thin and didn't talk much. The medicine seemed to be helping his leg, but the rest of him...

I remembered how we killed Foxface, and decided her death was necessary to our winning. I don't know why, but killing people in dreams was so much easier, no matter how realistic the dream was...

I went out and picked a handful of nightlock, and spread them out on the sheet of plastic. Deciding we could use more roots, I go out gathering. Before too long, I hear the cannon fire. I grin, and keep gathering.

_Just one step closer to home. _

I shake my head.

_No, even if it's a dream, it's sick to think of it like that. You're tuning into Cato. _

Speak of the devil, he comes running backwards from the bushes.

_Backwards?_

I dive behind a rock, and look at him. He's fighting something. Then I see, at the other end of his sword is Foxface.

_But then who was the cannon..._ And my blood turns to ice.

I run back to the cave, as fast as I can. When I get there, Peeta isn't moving.

"Peeta!" I scream, shaking him.

Remembering the Quell, and what Finnick did, I press my lips against Peetas, and breathe air into his lungs, pushing my hands against his chest.

After a while, I stop, and break down crying.

"But... You.. The medicine! I could've helped you... I should-" But I'm cut off by the boom of a cannon. Foxface's face is projected in the air. Then Cato's.

_Killed each other._ I think weakly, and sit down.

The voice of Claudius Templesmith rings out loud and clear, echoing throughout the entire arena.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the winners of the 74th Hunger Games- Katniss Everdeen!"

I sit up, realizing that I was the last one left.

"What? No! I don't deserve this! No!"

I'm screaming as the hovercraft comes to pick me up and carry me home.

"No!"

My eyes fly open, and they're looking right at a pair of bright blue ones.

"Oh, Peeta." I say, and throw my arms around his neck. "You died. I left you in the cave, and..." I was crying uncontrollably.

He rubs my back, holding me close.

"I'm not dead, Katniss. You saved me, we both made it out of the arena alive."

I nod my head.

"Okay. Thank you."

I look at him, and give him a kiss.

"I love you, Katniss."

"I love you too, Peeta."

I lay my head on his chest, and he wraps an arm around me.

**A/N: Thank you very much to bubblesxp and ilikebread1 for inspiring this chapter and the poll! 3 you all! Please tell me what you thought!**

**Poll:**

**Who does Cato belong with? Clove or Glimmer?**


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: Thank you all! I don't really have much to say. So... Yeah. I'm sorry it took me to long to update, busy, busy day!**

Chapter 13

Katniss POV

I don't think either of us slept much for the rest of the night. When the sun is up, filtering through the windows, I get out of bed, and he follows.

"What do you want for breakfast?" Peeta asks.

"Pancakes." I say, and he makes them.

I eta about five before I'm full, and when we are done, I start doing the dishes. I dry my hands off, turn around, and lean on the counter, facing Peeta.

"What?" he asks.

"Nothing." I say, smiling, and turn back around to the sink. He comes up behind me, and slides his arms around my stomach, resting his chin on my shoulder.

"What is it?" He says into my ear.

"Nothing!" I say, still smiling.

"Fine." He says. "Don't tell me. I will be outside building an _manly_ greenhouse, so I can plant some _manly _flowers."

I laugh, and finish the dishes.

When I'm done, I check the thermometer on the wall. Seeing how hot it is, I jog upstairs and change from my pajamas into shorts and a tanktop. I go to put my hair into a bun, but it slides out, and I remember how short it is.

I pull on a hat instead, and some sunglasses, and walk out into the backyard. There he is, standing over a pile of wood, looking at a piece of paper.

"How do you plan on doing this?" I ask him.

"I... Have no idea. I have some instructions," he holds up the paper in his hand, "but I'm lost."

I walk over, and read the instructions, look at the paper, then back and forth.

I arrange the wood the way they have it on the peper, and write the numbers and letters on the boards with a pencil Peeta gets me.

We build the frame first, which seems to take forever. Who knew boards could bend like that? Well, after nailing it all toether so it was a sturdy structure, we go inside and have big glasses of water, and sandwiches for lunch.

We go back outside, and finish it, nailing the plastic to it, attatching the door, etc. When it is completely finished, it is nearly dusk, and we are exhausted. We don't even bother having dinner, we just go upstairs, change, and flop down on the bed.

We sleep with the window open, letting the warm summer air fill the room. I don't know if it was the sounds of critters outside mixed with the warmth and scent of summer, or just the fatigue of the day, but I slept soundly all night, with not a single nightmare.

When I wake up, I stretch, and accidentally hit Peeta in the face, waking him up.

"Sorry!" I say, and roll to the egde of the bed. I swing my legs off, and walk to the bathroom. I go to the bathroom, and notice myself in the mirror on my way out. My hair is a mess, and my face dirty. I poke my head out of the bathroom door, and see Peeta, who appears to still be half asleep.

"I'm gonna take a shower!" I say, and close the door. I get undressed, tossing my clothes into the hamper, and start to run the shower. I close the curtain, and hear the bathroom door open.

_It's not like him to come into the bathroom while I'm showering..._ I think, but continue showering anyway. I shampoo my hair, and as I'm rinsing it out, I hear the curtain open, and Peeta steps in.

I scream loudly, and cover myself with one hand, pusing him out with the other. When he's out, I close the curtain and scream at him.

"What the HELL was that, Peeta?" I ask.

"Well, uh.. I thougth you told me to take a shower." He says groggily.

"No, I said I was taking a shower! And why would the shower be running?"

"I don't know!"

I scoff and continue rinsing my hair.

"But, if you wouldn't mind company..."

"OUT!" I cammand.

"Right, not funny..." He says, and walks out.

I finish washing, and climb out. When I realize I hadnt brought day clothes into the bathroom, I clutch the towel close to me, and open the door just a crack. I peek out, and, not seeing Peeta, I change.

I pull on a loose grey T-shirt and khaki capris. I pad down the stairs, to find Peeta sitting at the table, reading the Newspaper, eating cereal.

"Since when do we get a paper?" I ask. He shrugs, and takes another bite.

"What's happening that is so riveting that you can't even form words to talk to me?" I ask, sitting down, pouring myself a bowl.

"Nothing much."

I grab the paper from him.

"Oh, is that so?" I ask, looking at the paper.

"Wow. There, uh... Really is nothing."

He nods his head, and continues eating.

"What's the matter? Why are you so quiet?"

"Nothing to talk about."

"How about the fact that you tried to shower with me?" I ask, agitated.

"Like I said, I thought you told me to take a shower. I wasn't even really awake, which I still am not, and don't worry- I didn't see anything."

"Good." I say. "I'm sorry about the confusion, but when you dicide to imporive your attitude, I will be out in the garden."

I walk outside, and go into the garden. I sit on a bench, and look around. I see butterfly dancing around from flower to flower. I see a dragonfly, and ladybugs. One of the ladybugs flies up, and lands on the bench beside me.

It crawls along the bench to me, and climbs on my finger. It walks across the back of my hand, and I hold out my other one. It stops, resting on my palm, and I sit there, looking at it.

"Katniss." I hear from behind me.

The startled ladybug flies away, and I set my hand back on my lap.

"I'm sorry I was rude earlier, I was just tired." He says.

"That's okay." I say, feeling guilty for making him feel bad. "I can't exactly ecpect you to be happy and perky all th time. I'm never happy and perky!"

"I don't know about that," He says, coming to sit next to me. "I've seen you happy plenty of times."

"Like when?"

"Like... When we were in the meadow together. You seemed happy then. And when we were in the rain, and you half mauled half tickled me to death." He laughs lightly. "Then you told me you loved me."

"Love you." I corrected. "I love you."

Then I lean in and kiss him.

We spend the remainder of the day working. He builds small boxes, and I fill them with dirt. When we have filed to cover the perimeter of the greenouse, we take a break, and relax outside on the lawn. Because it's so nice out, we don't want to waste any time inside.

My head is in his lap, and we're looking at the clouds. He points out that one looks like a fish, and I see a bear. But when he says one looks like an elephant, I'm taken aback.

"What's that?"

He runs inside, and comes out with a book entitled "Animals". It looked old, like maybe it had belonged to his grandmother.

He flips through the pages, pointing out different animals. Turns out the elephant lives in the jungle, or so the book says. Hearing the word "jungle" couses Peeta to freeze, closing his eyes and clenching his teeth.

"The Quell." He says, and I brace myself for the worst. "It was like a jungle in the arena, right?"

"Yes." I say calmly.

"And we had a hard time finding water, but it was in the trees, right?"

"Right."

"But... You didn't push Mags into the fog, right?"

"Right, she walked into the fog, sacrificing herself for us."

"Us. Everyone in the games was trying to make sure we stayed alive."

"Yes. And we all did."

He nods his head.

"Good. Otherwise I wouldn't have you."

I scoot over and hug him.

"Lets plant some flowers." He says after a while, closing the book, and standing up.

"Lets."

**A/N: SO SO SO SO SORRY I didn't update sooner, I have been soooo busy! BUT! This sort of a longer chapter, so I hope that makes up for it? **


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: I'm sorry about the lack of frequent updates, I try! Thank you all so much for reading! **

Chapter 14

Katniss POV

We go to plant flowers, then realize we don't have flowers to plant. We go get the phone, and sit on the lawn, carefully dialing the number that was written on a thin slip of paper.

"Hello?" Effie's voice rang out.

"Hello, Effie." We say in unison.

"Hello! How are you doing? What's going on? What do need? Are you hurt?"

Her words are jumbled, and coming out so fast that we start to laugh. When she calms down, I speak slowly into the phone.

"Actually, Effie, we were wondering-"

"Are you two getting married? Oh, I always knew you would!"

"No, Effie. We arent getting married. Yet." Peeta looks at me and winks.

_What?_

I'm flustered, but continue talking to Effie.

"Oh." she says, sounding disappointed.

"Effie, we were wodnering if you knew where we could get seeds."

"Seeds?" She asks.

"Yes, for flowers." Says Peeta. "We're working on a garden."

"Oh!" She says. "What kind of seeds?"

"Well, what kind can we get?"

"Um... I will get you a list, and make sure it gets there by tomorrow!"

"Okay, thank you!" We say.

"Please, call more often!" She says, and hangs up the phone.

We go inside to make dinner, because we're hungry, and eat it outside. We wind up having steak and mashed potatoes. Peeta cooks the steak, and I cook the potatoes. After baking them, I scoop out the insides, and throw them into a bowl, making a rather large batch. As I mashed, I stated thinkin about what Peeta had said to Effie earlier.

_Not getting married yet. Yet. Is he planning on proposing? What would I say if he did? Yes, of course I love him, but, marrige?_

I snapped out of my trance when Peeta came over, and place a hand on my shoulder.

"Are you okay? You were mashig it pretty ferociously."

I look at my hand, and see I have a white-knuckle grip on the potato masher.

"Yeah, fine. Just... Really didn't want chunks." I smile, and he laughs.

"Okay..."

I finish if up, stirring in butter, salt and pepper. When I'm done, I bring it out and set it on the table. I go back inside, and bring a pitcher of water out. When Peeta comes out, he carries steak, two plates underneath the plate, and two glasses in the other hand.

"Need a hand?" I ask.

"Nope." He says. "I got it."

And sure enough, he sets the glasses donw first, puts a plate in formt of each of the two chairs, and the steak in the center of the table, next to the potatoes.

"Very well done!" I say, clapping.

We laugh, then start to eat.

Dinner is amazing, as always. When we're done, I wash the dishes. As I'm scrubbing the pan Peeta used to cook the steak in, he comes into the kitchen and leans on the counter next to me.

"Did I bother you with that comment erlier, about marrige?" He asks.

"No," I say, scrubbing the plate a little harder. "It just... took me off guard. Plus, Effie brought it up, not you."

"Okay. You just seemed kind of... Uncomfortable about the subject."

"Well, I sort of am." I see his face fall. "No, Peeta, it's not like that! I'm not saying I wouldn't marry you, I love you, and I hope we gat married... Someday."

"Just not soon."

"I'm sorry." I say, turning around to face him, and find myself wrapped in his arms.

"Katniss, I will wait as long as I have to. Alright?"

I nod my head. I kiss him lightly on the cheek.

"I'm going to bed. Long day." I say.

I walk upstairs, and change into sweatpants and a baggy shirt that fell off one shoulder. I sit on the bed, and crawl under the covers, turning the lamp off. When Peeta comes up, he turns on the light, and I pull the pillow over my head. When he turns the light off, I bring my head back up, and turn to Peeta.

"Goodnight." I say.

"Goodnight."

I kiss Peeta, than roll over and go to sleep.

I'm in a room, bright with sunlight. I look around me, and see I'm standing on a table. My old prep team surrounds me. They are dabbind tears from their eyes as they poke at me.

"Put this on." Says Octavia, handing me a blindfold. I do as she says, and hear shuffling. I feel a silky fabric slip over my head, and I stick my arms throughskinny straps. Then a much heavier, scratichier fabric is pulled over that. Everything is tightened, to the point to which I almost can't breathe. Then I feel something being placed on my head, sticking inot my hair.

I feel shoes being slipped on my feet, and, with the guidance of my team, step down from the podium I was standing on. The blindfold is carefully pulled off my head, and when I open my eyes, I see a beautiful, perfect-looking girl in a georgeous dress, with glowing skin, high cheekbones, and ruby red lips.

Then, I realize this beautiful woman is me.

And I'm wearing a wedding dress.

"Am I getting-" I choke out, but I'm interrupted my the loud slam of a door opening.

"Married!" sings Effie, walking in. "I always knew this day would come! Now, dear, everyone is waiting!"

She grabs me by the arm, and before I have time to react, she's pulling me out the door.

We come to large double woode doors, and I'm told that I will have to go down the aisle alone, because my father isn't there to give me away.

The doors start to open, and I clutch the boquet that was handed to me so tightly I thought the stems might snap.

Throught the thick veil, I see Peeta standing at the end of the isle, and I walk forward. When I reach him, I see him smile. But it's not the smile I know. There's no happiness behind it.

I hear Peeta say "I do" and I repeat the words, as if under a trance.

But when he leans in to kiss me, and lifts my veil, I see his eyes. They're black, and cold. Not blue.

They're Snow's eyes.

I sit up, awake now, panting. I look over, and see I haven't waken Peeta. I go to the bathroom, and splash cool water on my face.

_Wedding dreams? Wow, I guess I really am scared of getting married. Katniss, pull yourself together! You're not even engaged!_

I towel my face off, and walk back to bed. After tossing and turning, I walk downstairs, and get myself a bowl of mashed potatoes.

I eat them slowly, and wash the bowl when I'm done. I go back upstairs, and brush my teeth. I'm just trying to kill time. I don't want to go back to bed, for some reason. Proably because I know I'll have nightmares. Or just won't sleep at all.

I walk outside, and into the garden. I walk past the greenhouse with its empty flower beds, and remember we'll be choosing which flowers we want in the morning. I wals further than the stone bench, to where there is a small duck pond. I have no idea why they spent so much time landscaping the grounds behind the victor's houses. Why bother, if the last time 12 won was 25 years ago? Well, it's a job, and you take what you can get around here.

I put my feet into the water, making ripples. I look at the fence separating Haymitch's house from ours. I wonder what his backyard looks like.

_Full of geese._ I remember, surprised at how rarely we hear them honking.

I lay back onto the cool grass, and look up at the stars. I try to recall where the constellations that Peeta showed me were. I close my eyes, and breathe in the scent of the dew-covered lawn. When I sit back up, I look around the small pond. I see a willow tree, actually, a few.

I remember the games, and how I hid in willow trees. Looking at the water, I see reflections of the trees, the stars, and the moon. I look at my feet, and see a reflection of myself.

"The short hair's kinda growing on me." I say aloud.

"I like it." I hear form behind me. I whip my head aound and see Peeta.

"Jeez, you scared me!" I say.

"What are you doing out here? It's 2 am."

"Couldn't sleep. Did you know we had a duck pond?" I ask, looking back at the water.

"Yes I did." he stands there for a moment.

"I'm not going to convince you to come back to bed, am I?"

I shake my head.

"Sorry. But I kinda like it out here."

"Mind if I join you then?" He asks, sitting down.

"Nope!" I say, and lean my head on his shoulder.

I don't know how long we sit there, but at some point in time I fall asleep. And when I wake up, I figure Peeta brought me back inside.

I go to roll off bed, and stick my legs out as usual, but I'm closer to the edge of the bed than I tought, and I fall. But when I land, instead on landing on carpet, I land in water.

I thrash as soon as it souches my skin. I pop back up, finding it rather shallow.

I take a deep breath of air after coughing all the water out of my lungs, clutching the bank of the pond. I'm hauled back up by Peeta, who is wet.

"Nice wake up call." He says.

"Tell me about it." I huff, and shake my hair with my hands, getting the water out, and all over Peeta.

"Hey!" He protests. "I'm already wet!"

"Aready wet?" I ask. "Oh, you're nothing close. But let me help you with that." And I push him into the pond.

"You're gonna get it!" He says, lunging out of the pond, and at my ankles. I jump out of the way, but he climbs out, and starts ater me. He catches me. Wrapping his arms around my waist, and lifting me off the ground.

"Put me down!" I laugh.

He goes to the edge of the pond, and swings me.

"One... Two... Three!" And he tries to throw me into the pond. But I grab his hand, pulling him in with me.

We come up, sputering and laughing.

I splash at hin, and he splashes back. We have a grand time, splashing and kicking water at each other.

I duck underwater, and swim over to him, poping up just in front of him.

"Boo!" I say, and tackle him underwater.

**A/N: I'm writing as fast as I can! R&R! 3**


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: Okay, I was worried I couldn't update today, because the power went out. So, if I don't update, it's because the power is out!**

Chapter 15

Katniss POV

When we come back up, I find my face inches away from his. I lean and kiss him. I break away, but I can tell by the look in his eyes I did it too soon.

I climb out of the shallow pond, and pull him out after me. He tries to go inside, but I block his path.

"Nooo! You, and I, are far too dirty."

"Well, where do you suggest we rinse off?"

I walk over to the side of the house, and come back with the hose.

"Oh, no you don't!" He says, backing up, But I squirt the water in his direction, washing soe water off his back.

"That. Is. COLD!" he says, but stands there and lets me rinse him off.

"Your turn." He says with a grin.

I stand, and spread my arms, forming a T. I clench my teeth, bracing myself for the cold, but find the water isn't any colder than the pond.

"Baby." I say, and he squirts me in the face.

When we're dripping wet, but clean, we stand outside the door.

"We don't want to get water all through the house. So..." I look at him for an idea.

"Wait here a second." he says, starting towards the door. He turns around. "Um... Close your eyes."

I do, and hear the door open. Soon, he's back outside, and I feel a towel being placed in my arms.

I open my eyes, and see he's standing there, towel warpped around his waist, shirtless. I find myself absentmindedly staring at his chest, the muscles on his arms...

I snap back to reality, remembering where I was, and blush fiercely.

"I'm just going to... Yeah."

I run around to the side of the house. I, hiding in cluster of bushes, change out of the wet clothes, and wrap the towel tightly around myself. I walk back inside the house, and run upstairs. I get dressed, then walk downstairs, brushing my hair. I look around, trying to find Peeta. Suddenly, I'm tackled to the couch.

"Hey!" I say, looking up at Peeta's wide grin.

"What?" He asks innocently.

"You're kinda-" But he cuts me off with a kiss. He breaks away after a moment.

"I'm sorry, I-" But I lean up and kiss him again.

I run my fingers through his hair, pulling him closer. He brushes hair behind my ear, and trails his hand down to my back, pulling me up. He kisses across my cheek, across my jaw, down my neck, then back up again.

Wrap my arms around him, kissing him deeply. I kiss his eyes, temples, cheeks, then mouth again.

His hands run down my amrs, to the hem of my shirt.

"Mmh." I say, pulling away. "I... Can't."

He sits up. "No. Okay, that's fine."

"Peeta, I'm sorry. I just don't want anything... To happen."

After a second, it registers what I mean.

"Oh." He said, looking away. "Yeah, no... We... Wouldn't want that!"

He starts to get up, but I grab his hand.

"Hey. Sometime, okay? Just... Not now."

He nods his head, and I smile.

We hear a knock at the door. Peeta gets up, and answers it. He comes back, and sits down, with an envelope in his hand.

On it is written "From Effie with love" in fancy, flamboyant lettering, printed in gold ink.

He opens it, and pull out two pieces of paper. One is a long list of flower names, and a small description of each. A few names stand out: Sunflower. Poppy. Primrose.

The sight of the name sparks a small twang of pain in my chest, but I swallow it, and look at the next paper.

In the same print as on the front of the envelope, it says:

"Peeta and Katniss, please circle the names of the seend you would like. I will pay for everything, and the seeds will arrive in a few days. All my love, Effie."

We sit there for a while, deciding which seeds we went. Which we have room for. We decide to order most of them, and we'll landscape the rest of the garden.

We enclose qite a bit of money when we send the list back to Effie, thinking it'll be rather pricey.

We go for a walk, holding hands, and deliver the letter to the post office. On our way home, we swing by the bakery. Peeta walks in, and pulls a cake out of the display case.

"It's a few days old. Not by any means stale. Just... 'Unfit to sell to costumers'."

We're bringing the cake home, along with a few bags of chocolate chip cookies, when we stop by the newly-built grocery store, a more... Legal form of the Hob. It's owned by Greasy Sae, and had employed former Hob merchants.

We pick up two bottles of milk, and set them on the counter. Looking around, I see a "Help Wanted" sign taped to the old metal money box.

We buy the milk, exchanging small talk. She notices the cake, and tells Peeta she would like to sell some of his baked goods in the store. She says she'll talk to him at the bakery, and we leave, thenking her and smiling.

"Wow. It's been a while since I've socialized!" I say as we're walking home.

"What do you mean?" he asks.

"You talk to people all the time, you work in the bakery. Me? The last person I talked to in person who wasn't you was..."

"Gale." He finishes for me, and I nod my head. He squeezes my hand.

When we get home, it's nearly lunchtime. Peeta sets the cake on the table, and I go to the silverware drawer and pull out two forks. I pop open a bottle of milk, and pour us glasses.

"Dig in!" I said, and sat down.

The cake was a rich chocolate one, with two layers, and vanilla icing. Between the two of us, we ate half of it, and we were full. I wrapped the cake back up, and set it in the refrigerator.

I sit on the couch, and Peeta comes over. I scoot closer to him. He looks at me, then laughs.

"What?" I ask.

"You have chocolate all over your face, my dear."

"Oops." I say, and wipe it off with the back of my hand.

"Missed a spot." He says, leaning forawrd. He kisses my nose, then all around my mouth, then my lips.

I lean forward, kissing him back. He leans forward, laying me down on the couch. I don't want it to go too far this time. I kiss him once, twice, three more times before breaking away.

"I..." I say, crawling our form under him, "Think I'm going to get a job!"

"Uh..." He looks at me, his face full of confusion. "Okay."

"I'll work at the grocery store, with Sae. There was a sign that said "Help Wanted" so..."

"I see. Well, when are you going to apply?"

"I'll go tomorrow, when you have work!"

"Okay." He nods his head. "And what brought this up now?"

"I... Just thought of it, and didn't want to forget it." I smiled.

"Katniss, you always do this. Whenever we do anything more than just a quick kiss..."

"I told you, I don't want things to go too far!"

"Okay." He said. "I was thinking you just didn't..."

"Didn't what?"

"Uh..." he was blushing now. "Enjoy..."

"Didn'y enjoy kissing you?" I laughed. "No! That isn't it at all. It's the opposite, in fact. I enjoy it TOO much."

"Oh." He says, smiling. "Good."

We do nothing the rest of the day, lounge, walk, talk, read. We eat the rest of the cake for dinner, and promise to eat healthy tomorrow. We finish off the milk, and I make a mental not to pick up more tomorrow.

We get changed, and went to bed. I fell asleep in Peeta's arms, which seemed to chase the nightmares away.

**A/N: Thank you all so much for reviewing! :D :D :D As always, ideas and stuffs, I love! :D**

**Poll:**

**WHO do YOU think should play _ in Catching Fire?**

**Today's _ : Finnick Odair**


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: Hello! Not much to say! Just thank you all so much for the nice coments! :D :)**

Chapter 16

Katniss POV

I'm woken up by a kiss on the cheek.

"I'm going to work. See you later." Peeta says, then leaves.

I fall back asleep, and when I wake up, I get dressed and head right for the store. When I open the door, a little bell jingles.

_Hmm. Hadn't noticed that before. _

I walk up to the front desk, and wait for Sae. She comes out from the back room, wiping her hands on her apron.

"Hello, Katniss! What can I do for you?"

"Your sign says 'Help Wanted', so I was wondering if maybe you wanted me to work here?"

"'Course!" She said. "When can you start?"

"Whenever you need me, I guess!"

"Well, I have a few errands to run, can you take over for the day?" She asks, handing me an apron.

"Um, sure!" I say, and walk behind the counter.

"Now, the prices are all on this sheet-" She says, pointing to a piece of paper next to the money box, "and that's really all you need to know."

She's walking towards the door.

"I won't be back for a while, like I said, errands. One of which are stopping by your husband's bakery!" She says with a wink.

"He's not my hus-" But she's closed the door.

I sigh and lean on the counter.

_Why does everybody think we're married?_

I look up, hearing the bell ring. A short, brown-haired woman comes in, and gets a jug of milk, and a can of peas.

I look at the list, checking the prices, then get the money from her.

"What is a woman like Katniss Everdeen doing working in a grocery store?" She asks.

"I don't know. Victor's life isn't very interesting."

"Really?" She asks, eyes wide. "Well, it's an honor to meet the victor of the 73rd and 74th Hunger Games."

"Oh, don't say that." I ask. "I'm still just Katniss from 12!" I feign a smile, and she leaves, mumbling to herself.

The rest of the day, we have quite a few people stop in. None of them have qite the reaction the first woman did, a few people look at me funny for a second, then go back to shopping. Most people treat me as usual, smiles and small talk.

When sae comes back, it's nearly 4.

"Glad to see you haven't burned the place down." She says with a wheezing laugh. "How was it today?"

"Good! We had a good amount of costumers,"

"Nobody gave you any trouble?" She asks, winking.

"Nope, no trouble!" I say.

"Well, good. I'll figure out how much to pay you at the end of the week."

"Sounds lika a plan." I say. I turn in my apron, say goodbye, then leave.

I walk to the bakery after work.

"Hello!" I say, sitting on the counter.

Peeta comes out from the back room, brushing flour off his hands.

"Hey, how was your first day?" He asks, kissing me on the cheek.

"Fun! Sae caled you my husband, a woman made a big deal of 'being in the pescence of a victor of not one, but TWO games' but the rest of the people were normal, especially as the day passed..."

"Sae called me your husband?"

"Uh... Yeah. And the woman made-"

"A big deal out of the, yeah yeah yeah. Why did Sae think that, exactly?"

I shrug. "Beats me. I mean, we're living together, and, as far as everyone's concerned we've been together since the first Games, so..."

"I see. Well. I just started on some cookies-"

"Want some help?" I ask, hopping off the counter.

"Sure!" He says, and takes my hand, leading me into the kitchen.

The room is small, lined with countertops, with a large table in the center. He brings me to the table, and I see a large bowl filled with what looks like sugar.

He ties an apron around my waist before I can make any smart remarks about how I've been in one all day.

He tells me the recipe as he adds the ingredients. Well, I add them, with him standing behind me, guiding my hands through the steps. When he adds the flour, he flicks a little in my face. I flick some back. He throws more, and I throw some back.

"This... Means war." I say, and duck out from under his arms. Before I know what's happening, I'm hit in the side with an egg.

I look around, and see a bowl full of them next to me. I start throwing them at Peeta, and he throws them back. We use cookie sheets as shields, and move on to throwing random boxes of things at each other. Whatever we can get ahold of, we throw. I'm hit by boxes of cocoa power, and baking soda. He gets pelted by chocolate chips and maple sugar.

By the end of it, the entire kitchen is covered in mulitcolored dust and goop, and we're laughing. I walk over to him, and hug him. He leans down and kisses me.

"Eww!" I say, breaking away, but he pulls me back.

After a minute, we focus on cleaning the kitchen. We scrap the cookie idea, obviously. I wash the dishes and the counters, (and everythign on them,) and Peeta mops the floor. By the time we're done cleaning, it's dark out, and raining.

"Walking home in the dark and rain. Fun." I say.

"We'll survive, I think." He says, and we walk outside.

It was way worse than we thought. We et two stepa and we're soaked. We run home, sliping in the mud, falling in mud puddles. By the time we reach the front door, we barge in, not caring about gettign things wet.

I run upstairs, and, fully clothed, get in the shower and stand under the hot water. Peeta bangs on the bathroom door.

"Hey, you're not the only cold one!"

"Fine, climb in. Just... Keep your clothes on."

I'm reconsidering what I say, but then he steps in, and I feel bad, because he feels freezing cold, and he's shivering.

We stand there under the water for a while, warming up, washing what little gunk out of our hair the rain didn't get.

When I'm all warm and clean, I climb out, strip off my clothes, and pull on a fuzzy bathrobe. Then, Peeta gets out, and I bring him one. We are exhausted, and get in bed, puttting an extra blanket over ourselves. I cuddle close to Peeta, and kiss him.

"Goodnight." I say, closing my eyes.

"Goodnight."

"I love you." I say.

"I love you too."

I yawn, and fall asleep quickly.

**A/N: SO! Really, nothing to say! :D**

**Poll: Who do you think should play _ in Catching Fire?**

**Today's _:**

**Johanna Mason**


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: Why are you reading this? Read the stuff below! I like this chapter!**

Chapter 17

Katniss POV

I wake up to a loud knock on the door. I get up, but Peeta touches my arm.

"I'll get it." he says. "You go back to sleep."

I fall back onto the pillow, and fall asleep again. When I wake back up, I go downstairs, and find Peeta on the couch, with a box on his lap.

"What's in the box?" I ask, rubbing my eyes.

"Don't know. I was waiting for you to open it."

I sit next to him, and we stare at the box for a second.

"Well, are you going to open it?" I ask. He smiles, and tears it open.

"Seeds." He says.

"Of course. What else would it be?" I ask.

We, well, I, eat breakfast, and then we get dressed. We go outside, and lay the seeds, each in their own individual envelopes, on a board on the lawn.

We spend all day in the garden, planting the boxes in the greenhouse first, then working our way back into the garden. We've planets huge beds surrounded by stone, at some points nto methodically plantinc, we just start throwing different seeds on the soil.

We work our way all around the yard, following the paths, and when we're done, we're empty-handed, seed envelopes scattered around behind us. It's sunset, and we're laying under the willow trees. The wind is blowing lightly, just enough to balance out the heat.

I look at Peeta, and kiss him on the cheek.

"I love you." I say.

He looks at me for a minute.

"Come on." he says, pulling me up.

"What?" I ask. "Hey, I'm tired!"

He sits me on the stone bench, and runs inside.

When he comes back out, he's out of breath. He sit on the bench next to me.

"Are you okay?" I ask, laughing.

"Yes. I'm fine."

I lean my head on his shoulder, watching the sun set.

"Okay." He says after a minute.

"Okay what?"

"I promised I'd wait, I know..."

"Wait for what? Peeta, tell me what is going on!"

He takes a deep breath.

"Katniss."

"Yes?"

He climbs off the bench, and gets down on one knee. He pulls a small box form his pocket, and opens it. Inside, is a ring with a diamond affixed on it. I gasp, and my hands fly to my mouth.

"Will you marry me?"

**A/N: MWAHAHAHAH CLIFFHANGER! Very very short chapter, but I felt this is where I wanted to stop it!**

**Poll:**

**Who should play _ in Catching Fire?**

**Today's _:**

**Mags!**


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: I have next to NO time to write! I'm so sorry for the short chapters! **

Chapter 18

Katniss POV

I sit there in shock for a moment. Thousands of thoughts are racing through my mind a minute.

"Yes! Yes, Peeta, I will marry you!" I say, smiling.

A huge grin spreads across his face, and he hugs me tight.

We're laughing, and I realize I'm crying, too. He wipes the tears from my face, and slips the ring onto my finger. I look at m ring for a moment, lking how it looks on my finger. I kiss him, putting my hands on both sides of his face.

We laugh some more, and we sit there, fingers intertwined, on the stone bench.

We lay on the ground when the stars come out.

"Could you point out the star patterns again, lie when we were in the meadow?" I ask him. He laughs.

"You mean constellations?"

"Yeah, those."

We spend a long time out there. The night is perfectly clear, and it looks like there are billions of stars lighting up the sky.

"Where'd you learn all of these?"

"My dad had this old astronomy book, I read it all the time."

"Oh." I say.

We lay there for a while more, then go inside, feeling tired. I pull on a tanktop and shorts, and leave the windows open, enjoying the breeze. I climb under the blanket, and roll on my side, closing my eyes.

A minute or so later, Peeta comes to bed.

"Oh, so you're gonna leave me over here all alone?"

I scoot closer to him, and snuggle close.

"Goodnight, Peeta." _My fiancee_ I add in my head.

"Goodnight Katniss."

I smile, and fall asleep.

I wake up to my name. Being yelled.

"What?" I ask, opening my eyes. It takes my eyes a minute to adjust to the drakness, but I can mae out the silhouette of Peeta on top of me.

"What? What's wrong?" I ask.

"You were screaming." he sounds out of breath.

"I was? I don't even remember falling asleep..."

"Well, something was scaring you. And you were scaring me. It's getting harder and harder to wake you up now. I don't know why."

"I don't know why either, Peeta. I'm so sorry."

"Don't be. I'm just glad you're okay."

I hug him.

"Thank you for waking me up." I say into his chest.

"Any time."

We lay back down. I close my eyes, but don't dream. Just black.

I wake up in the morning, and see my hand on the pillow beside me, holding Peeta's. I see the ring on my finger, and smile. I lay there until Peeta wakes up. He sees me, and smiles in return.

"We're getting married." He says, pulling me close.

"Yes we are." I say, kissing him.

I look at the clock.

"Enough time to have breakfast befroe we have to work?" I ask him, hopeful.

"There is always enough time for breakfast." He smiles, and we get out of bed.

I sit on the counter, watchign him make pancakes.

"Need any help?" I ask with a wink.

"No, I don't think you have the time to clean up the mess." He laughs.

We eat, dress, and head our separate ways. Sae leaves me at the store again, and it's about an hour before I get a costumer.

She's tall, and blonde, with 12's signature gray eyes. It takes a minute for me to recognize her, but then I remember her as a girl from my class.

"Sara?" I ask, and she turns around.

"Katniss! Oh my gosh! I haven't seen you since..."

"Before the reaping."

"Yes!" She hugs me, then notices the ring on my finger.

"Oh! I love the ring! How long have you two been married, now?"

I'm about to ask her what she means, but then I remember Peeta told everyone we were married before the Quell.

"Well, after the war, Peeta-"

"Lost his memory, I know, it's all anybody was talking about for a while."

"Oh. I didn't know people knew... Well, we decided to get married again-"

"Like renewing your vows?" She interrupted.

_Why does she keep doig that?_

"Yes, like renewing our vows." I smile.

"Well, congratulations to you both!" She said, leaving, seeming to forget about her groceries.

I get a few more costumers, and, upon noticing an empty shelf, I go over to stock it with a box of canned fruit Sae pointed out to me. As I was putting the last few cans on the shelf, I hear the door jingle open.

"Sae, I have same animals for you!" I freeze, instantly recognising the voice.

I stand up slowly, and clear my throat.

"Gale." I say, trying hard to avoid making eye contact. "Sae isn't here."

"Oh." He says, walking over to the counter. "I'll just put these..." He sets the animals down and walks over to me.

"You cut your hair." He says.

"Yeah." I brush some behind my ear, and notice his eye catch something on my hand. His expression hardens.

"You're-"

"Getting married."

"Katniss," he says, taking a step towards me.

"What?" I hiss.

"Are you sure about this?" he asks. "You're still young."

"Peeta and I are in love. We have been for a long time."

"I have loved you for a long time, Katniss! And I never forgot it."

"You know he couldn't help that!"

"He is crazy Katniss, mentally unfit!"

"How DARE you say that Gale?" I say, and turn away. "I love him and there's nothing you can do about it!"

"Stop saying that!" He yells, and grabs me by the hand.

I shriek, and he pulls me into a kiss. I purse my lips, trying to pull away, but he pulls me close. Finally, when he breaks away, I slap him.

"Get away from me!" I yell, but he still has a firm grip on my wrists.

"You know I'm better for you than him, Katniss."

"No, Gale! HE'd never force me into anything!"

"YOU were kissing back." he says with a smirk.

"No I did not! Let me go!" But he pulls me into another kiss.

I stomp on his foot, and he lets go. I turn to run, and he reaches out for me, hitting me in the face.

I fall to the ground, tears streaming down my face.

"Get out of here right now, Gale."

He starts to say something, but turns and leaves. I have throbbign pain in my eye, and go to the back, and put ice on it. I decide I don't want to be here anymore, so I leave Sae a note, saying I wasn't feeling well, and go home.

I pull on bagy pajama pants, and Peeta's T-shirt I usually wear. I put more ice on my eye, and check it out in the bathroom.

I have a bruise runnign from high on my cheekbone, covering my eye. I wince when I touch it.

I go back out to the kitchen, and get bag of Peeta's cookies, take out two, and get a glass of milk. I end up eating the whole bag, finding myself very hungry. After eating, I start crying. I don't know why it suddenly starts now, but it does.

I cry about Prim, and my mom. I cry about Cinna, and Finnick, and Rue. I cry about Gale, and about Peeta. I cry and cry until I have no more tears left to cry. Then I sit there, curled up in a blanket, sniffling. I feel weak, and I hate feeling weak.

I lay there, and close my eyes. It burns because of the salt, but I keep them closed.

_Maybe if I sleep, it'll all get better..._

But I find myself still sniffling. I try to calm my breathing, and squinch my eyes shut, but that hurts my eye, so I give up, and let the tears come back.

I'm in this half-crying, half-fighting state when Peeta opens the door.

"Anobody home?" He calls out.

"Me!" I say, trying not to sound like I was crying.

"Katniss? Where are you?"

"I'm on the couch." I say, not being able to hide the ongoing sniffle. I wrap the blanket over my head, and face the back of the couch.

"Hey, are you okay?" He asks, coming over to the couch.

"Yeah." I say. "I wasn't feeling good, so I came home from work early."

He rubs my back, and sits on the couch.

"Want me to get you some medecine or..."

"No, I think I'll just sleep it off."

"Okay." He says. "Can I have a hug?"

"I don't want to get you sick." I say, and he laughs.

"I don't care." and he rolls me over, pulling the blanket off my head. His eyes widen when he sees my black eye.

"Oh my god, Katniss! What happened? Are you okay?" He pulls me close, into a hug, and I break down and start crying again. I'm sure I've soaked his shirt, but neither he or I really seem to care.

After I've cried all I could, I calm myself down, and look at Peeta. I take a deep, shaky breath, then begin.

"I was workign in the store today." He nods. "And I was restocking some cans, and Gale came in," His face goes from sympathetic to angry, but he lets me continue.

"And he saw my ring, and got all mad, then he-" My voice cracks, "Then he kissed me, and I tried to fight him and he kissed me again, and accidentally hit me, and then I came home and..."

By now, I'm crying again, and Peeta's holding me close, stroking my hair.

"It's okay, it's going to be okay."

We lay there for a long time, holding each other. He makes me dinner, and we eat.

"I'm going to take a bath." I say. I turn to go upstairs, btu for some reason turn around and say, "Care to join me?"

A look of queston crosses his face, but he comes with me. I fill the tub, and add bubbles. I undress, and climb in. I tell him he can come in, and then he steps in. We sit on opposite ends of the tub, with just our toes touching each other. I realize we've never seen each other naked. I float over and sit in front of him.

I hand hin the shampoo bottle, and he washes my hair. He rinses it by pouring cups of water over my head. Then, I do the same for him. We sit there in the bath for a while, our feet touching. He gets out first, and hands me a warm, fluffy towel. I wrap myself in it, dry myself off, then change back into my pajamas.

I lie on the bed, next to Peeta. He wraps his arms arround me, and kisses the back of my head.

"Are you okay?" He asks softly.

I turn around, and shrug.

"I've been better." I laugh lightly. He brushes hair out of my face.

"You're beautiful. You know that, right?"

"Even with the black eye and bad haircut?"

"_Especially_ with the black eye and bad haircut."

He kisses my eye, down my cheek, then my mouth.

I kiss him back, then lay my head on his chest.

"I love you." I whisper.

"I love you." He whispers in return.

**A/N: Holy crap, loooong chapter! :D PLEASE review! But you don't have to if you don't want to. **

**Poll:**

**What was your favorite scene from The Hunger Games?**


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N: I don't know why I put these before stories, I never have anything interesting to say. I guesss I feel like it just looks better there! XD**

Chapter 19

Katniss POV

I wake up when Peeta starts getting out of bed.

"No." I mumble, groping the air, trying to find his hand. He takes mine, and sits back down.

"What?"

I pull him closer. Then, I roll on top of him, and open my eyes.

"Good morning." I say.

"Good morning." I lean in and kiss him.

"We have the day to ourselves." I say, sitting on his lap, facing him.

"Why yes we do. And what do you sugest we do with day?"

"Absolutely nothing!" I say, falling back onto the bed.

"Really? Nothing?" He asks, moving closer. "I think we could do _something._" and with that, he kisses me again.

We lie in bed for a long time, actually. Talking, kissing... But finally, the growling in our stomachs has become so we can hear it clearly, so we go downstairs for food.

I see Peeta brought a cake home last night. I just hadn't noitced it.

"We eat a lot of cake." I say. "If I want to fit into a wedding dress, we need to eat better, at least some of the time."

At the mention of a wedding, Peeta smiles.

"I'm glad to hear you haven't changed your mind about marrying me."

"And why on Earth would I change my mind?" I ask.

"I don't know. I'm just glad you haven't."

"And I won't, either."

We eat sandwiches for lunch,full of vegetables and meat, and Peeta's fresh baked bread. When we're done, I turn to Peeta.

"When are we getting married, anyway?" I ask.

"I don't know, didn't Effie want to plan?"

"Shoot! Effie!" I grab the phone, and dial her number.

"What's the energency?" She gasps.

"No emergency Effie, calm down."

"Oh. Then why'd you call? Did the seeds get there all right?"

"Yes, Effie." I laughed. "Actually, I wanted to tell you something."

"Yes?" she says impatiently.

"Peeta and I are-" but I'm interrupted by Effie.

"Oh no, you two broke up? Katniss, you need to go apologize to that boy right now, whatever you did to him, he's nice,a nd he treats you-"

"Effie!" I yell. "Calm down! We have NOT broken up!"

"Oh." She says quietly. "But then does that mean you two are..."

"Getting married!" Peeta yells from the table. I swear even Haymitch could hear Effie scream, it was that loud.

"Oh my! Well, we need to pick a date, and a dress,a nd your bridesmaids, and the food, I'll decorate of course, and when should I move in?"

"M-move in?" I ask, taken aback. "Why would that be neceaasry, exactly?"

"Becasue I need to be around you two constantly, weddings take a lot of planning!"

"You can move into my old house!" Peeta calls.

"Thank you, dear." Syays Effie. "I'll be there as soon as I can! Goodbye!"

"Wait, Effie!" But she's hung up. I look at Peeta. "As soon as possible?"

He shrugs.

We go outside after lunch, and lay under the willow trees. Very lightly, he strokes my black eye with his thumb.

I go inside, and find that makeup kit Effie had sent me so long ago. I never wore makeup. That last time I did was then they made me look all beanten up, the Mockingjay.

I tear off the packaging, and open it up. I take the bottle of thick, creamy, light colored liquid, and dab it over my eye, tryjng to remember what Cinna did. Then, I caver it with a powder, and voila! No more black eye. I smile, content at my work, and walk back outside.

"There." I say. "Problem solved."

"No." he says, and wipes over my eye gently with part of his shirt. The makeup rubs off instantly, showing the ugly blue.

"Hey! I covered it up so I would look better."

"You look beautiful, Katniss, bumps and bruises all." He kisses my eye.

I smile slightly.

"I wasn't okay of him to do that Katniss, you know that, right? Even if it was an accident, he still forced you to.."

"I know, Peeta. Everything, the war, the games, has changed Gale. Changed him for the worse. I don't need that in my life."

"I've changed too, Katniss. At any time I could snap again, hurt you-"

I silence him with a kiss.

"You need to sop that talk, okay? I'm marrying you, whether you like it or not."

He smiles. "I like it." And I kiss him again.

We go back inside, because it cools of dramatically. The wind picks up, and rain starts pouring.

We close all the doors and windows, and sit on the couch, looking outside. We see the rin coming in sheets, forming large puddles quickly.

"Hey," I poke at him, "Look at the bright side. We don't have to water the plants for a while."

He chuckles, then the power goes out.

I look around.

"Crap." I say. "I'll get the candles."

In the dark, I walk down a hallway, and into the basement, felling along the shelves for candles. I find them, and stuff them into a box under the shelf. I pick up the box, and find a box of matches. I, very carefuly, walk back up the stairs, seeing some light. I go back into the kitchen, and set the dusty box on the table. I light a few, setting them in the kitchen and living room. I back, and sit on the couch, and wait for Peeta.

I hear him coming down the stairs.

"What are you doing?" I ask.

I see him, and he has blankets and pillows in his arms.

"I thought we could camp out downstairs tonight."

"Fun!" I say.

We curl up under a blanket on the couch.

It's freezing. The heating system doesn't work, because there's no power, and we can't light a frie, because of the rain.

I bring myself as close to Peeta as I possibly could be, clinging to his warmth.

"Are you okay?" He asks, sounding slightly amused.

"Just a little cold." I say. He kisses my nose.

"Wow, you are cold." He says.

I hug him closer.

"But you're warm, so it's okay."

I kiss him, and he kisses back. But suddenly, he freezes.

"What?" I ask, pulling my face away from his. He grabs my arm, tightly.

"Peeta." I say, keeping my voice level. "What's wrong?"

"You killed Finnick."

"No, I didn't Peeta."

"Yes, you did." He says, nodding his head. "You set those mutts on him."

"No. The mutts went after him on their own. I was taking care of you."

"You exploded him!" Peeta yells, tightening his grip.

"Peeta! You're hurting me! Stop!"

"Admit it!" He yells.

"Yes, I did, but he was already gone, Peeta!"

"You killed him! He was my friend!"

"He was my friend too, Peeta."

"He was?" His expression softens a bit.

"Yes. And I miss him as much as you do! He brought you back from the dead in the Quell." I stroke his face. "If it weren't for him, I wouldn't have you. Why would I likk the person that brought you back to me?"

He drops his arms, closes his eyes tightly, then opens them again.

"Hey, why do you look so sad?" he asks.

"You had a spell." I say, quietly.

"Oh my god, Katniss, did I hurt you?" He's worried, looking at me.

"No," I lie. "It was just quick. I talked you out of it."

"What was it about?" He asks, looking at the ground.

"Finnick." I say quietly.

"Oh. I'm sorry."

I hug him. "I'm just glad you're okay."

"I could say the same for you!" he laughs, and hugs me back.

I kiss him again, trying to ignore the pain in my arm.

"What are we going to eat?" I ask him.

"Cake?" he suggests.

"Yum!" I say, and he gets up, and comes back with the cake. He brings it in a bowl, explanign to me that all the plates are ditry.

I mash mine all up, making a sort of cake-paste.

"Eww." he says. "Are you going to eat that?"

"It's still cake! It just looks different." I say, scoopign some into my mouth. "In fact, it tastes betetr this way, you get the right cake-to-icing ratio."

"Ooh, we're busting out the fancy words now!" he says sarcastically, and I punch hi in the arm lightly.

He mixes his cake too, and responds with a satisfied grunt when he chews it.

"That IS good!" He says.

We finish our cake mush, then I bring the dishes out to the kitchen. It's gotten even colder now, and darker. I feel my way to the sink and set them in. On my way back over to Peeta, I trip over a leg of the table, and fall. I hit my head on the ground, making a loud thud.

"Katniss! Are you okay?" he hear Peeta get up, and trip over something.

"I'm fine!" I yell. "Stay put, I ned to find my way back, and we only need one injured person."

"Okay." He says. "I'm over here."

I crawl along the floor, feelign around, listenign to his voice, until I touch something. I jump back and scream.

"It ws just me, Katniss, it's okay."

I slowly inch forward, and when I find him, I pull myself close to him.

"That was horrifying!" I say. I have no idea why I'm so scared, I've been in the dark plenty of times before.

He feels along my face, finding the side of my head I hit was swelling.

"You need ice." He said.

"Not much we can do about that now, huh? And I don't feel it, anyway."

He kisses my cheek. "Such a trooper." He kisses the swell of my forehead, down my face and neck, then back up to my lips.

I kiss him back, deeply.

His hand moves along my back, laying me down on the blankets. I run my fingers through his hair.

"I love you." He says.

"I love you."

**A/N: Okay, so this WOULD be where the sex scene is, but I didn't want to write it, so... BUT! If one of you wants to write it, it would MAKE MY DAY! :D**

**Poll:**

**Uh... I don't know!**

**I would love to hear your ideas, though! :D I LOVE YOU ALL!**


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N: I apologize if this chapter makes absolutley no sense, I was written under the influence of chocolate Easter Bunny at 1 am. WOOT! 20 CHAPTERS!**

Chapter 20

Katniss POV

I wake up in Peeta's arms in the morning. Laying on a bed of blankets. Naked.

He wakes up just a second after I do, and my heart flutters at the sight of his bright blue eyes.

"Good morning." he says with a broad smile.

"Good morning." I say, not being able to help the smile the creeps across my lips.

He kisses me, leaning in on me.

I wrap my arms around his neck, and he notices the bruises on my arms from where he grabbed me.

"What are those?" he asks, breaking away.

"Nothing." I say, going to kiss him again.

He pulls his head back, and repeats himself.

"What. Are those?"

"They're from where I fell." I say.

"You fell on your side?"

"Yes. Hence, the welt on the _side_ of my forehead."

"Then why are the bruises on both arms?" he saks quietly. Holding my other hand gently, he extends my arm. With the other arm, I gather the blanket around my bare chest.

"Did I do this to you?" he asks very quiely.

"Peeta..."

He raises his voice.

"Did I do this to you?"

My lower lip quivers.

"I didn't tell you because I knew you'd get upset. I don't even feel them, and you can't help it. And I'm so sorry for not telling you, but it's okay."

And... I'm crying again.

I find myself cradeled in Peeta's arms, crying into his neck. I keep repeating myself.

"I'm sorry... I didn't want you to be upset... It's okay... Doesn't hurt..."

He calms me down, and looks at me.

"I know it's okay. I'm sorry I hurt you. But I know you think it's okay."

"I KNOW it's okay!"

"It's not okay for me to hurt you! What if I get worse, like before. What if I... Can't control myself, and hurt you? I don't want to know that I could-" But I slap him. Not hard enough to leave a mark, or hurt all that bad, but hard enough to get him to stop talking.

"You need to listen to me, Peeta Mellark." I lock eyes with him, and don't allow him to look away.

"You need to stop worrying about hurting me, because it doesn't hurt, and it's not you, okay? I love you, and I will stay with you, trying to help you through everything, and more often than not, I can calm you down before you can do anything to me. Alright?"

He nods.

"Will I EVER hear you talk abuot how I shouldn't be with you EVER again?"

He shakes his head.

"Good. Because I'm not leaving any time soon."

I sit up, and kiss him again. He seems hesitant at first, but then begins to kiss back. I'm the one who pushes him down now, and I lay on top of him. He trails his fingertips all over my back, and up my spine, stopping at my neck.

Suddenly, the front door flies open. I shriek,a nd fall backwards, wrapping a blanket around myself. Peeta does the same. I see Effie Trinket, standing in our kitchen, with a look of embarassment mixed with amusement on her face.

"Looks like you two are... Busy, So I'll be over in the guest hosue." and with that, she walks out the front door.

Feeling my face burn, knowing it's turned some shade of deep red, I walk up the stairs, but I'm tackled by Peeta.

"Hey!" I turn around, laughing. He kisses me.

"Thank you." He says.

"For what?" I ask.

"Well..." Now it was his turn to blush. "Last night."

"Oh." I say, kissing him. "There's no need to thank me."

"I'm worried I made you go out of your comfort zone, like I forced you into it..."

"You should have learned this by now, you can't force me into anything."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes! Now just shut up and kiss me."

I pull Peeta into a kiss, and break away prupousefully soon, and dash up the stairs. I head straight for the dresser, pull out a random shirt and pair of pants, and run into the bathroom, narrowly avoiding Peeta, laughing like a madman the whole time.

He's knocking on the door as I change, and I look down at the clothes I got. It's a flowy, flowery white top, and jeans. I pull them on, and brush my hair, then my teeth. The I open the bathroom door.

I'm immeaditley grabbed around the wasit, and flung to the bed.

"You took long enough!" Said Peeta, his face an inch away from mine.

"I had to make sure I looked good for Effie."

"And not for me?" he said, somehow moving closer.

"You made it perfectly clear that you don't care what I looked like."

"Maybe I lied."

"The I'll just go-" But he cuts me off, pulling me into a deep kiss.

"We should go get Effie." I said, puling away after a long moment. "She'll be worried, assuming the worst."

"And what is 'The Worst' exactly?"

"We've forgotten her!" We laugh, kiss once more, then go downstairs, and over to Effie.

**A/N: Okay, this may be my only update today because I've get alooooot going on! My absolute favorite emails to get are emails notifying me about a review! 3 Thank you all so much!**


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N: I really do apologize for the short chapters, but I'm reeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeealy busy! And thank you all so much for the compliments! I LOVE YOU!**

Chapter 21

Katniss POV

Effie opens the door, singing a hello to us, inviting us in. I see something register in her face when she sees my black eye, but she smiles and opens the door even wider.

I've only been in Peeta's house once, but it looks like she has completely redecorated the place, amd we see the entire livgn room is cvered in wedding picures, photos of dresses, different kinds of fabric, and countless other piles of paper, pens, and lists.

"I'm feeling a little woozy." I say to peeta, clutching his arm for support. He slips his hand into mine, and squeezes it. We walk forward.

She explains to us that we will have to choose a color scheme, venue, and date. It takes us hours to do just this. We decide on traditional white, nothing really else for color. When she forces us to pick another one, I blurt out, "Orange!".

"Orange it is." Effie says, writing something down in a giant book she has sititng on her lap.

Effie tells us she wants to have our wedding at the end of the month.

"This month?" I ask, in shock.

"Yes, dear. We can get it all done by then. I'm thinking we'll leave Peeta down here now to desgin the cake, I assume he's going to be making it, or at least will want to be part of the process of making it."

She grabs me by the arm.

"And WE will go upstairs, and try on wedding dresses, I brought quite a few with me."

I look at Peeta for help, and she pulls me away, and up the stairs.

She was severely understating it when she said she ahd brought "a few". The entire room is filled with dresses, on racks, hanging on the walls...

"Wow." I say. She smiles, then starts runnign around the room, picking several dresses off the racks.

"Try these on!" She says, and I do. With each one, she writes something in her big book.

After trying on what seems like hundreds of dresses, I'm done. Halfway through trying them on, Peeta comes up the stairs, and starts to open the door.

"Hey, I'm going-" But Effie runs over, and slams it shut.

"You may not come in here, Katniss is trying on dresses!"

"Okay..." He calls through the door. "I'm done designing the cake, I'm gonna be over at the house."

"Okay, see you soon!" I yell.

But Effie has other plans for me.

I am there for another four hours. She has me re-try on dresses, wokring through some sort of elaborate elimintaion process. I do get some say, but not a whole lot.

In the end, I'm wearing a long strapless dress with a beauitful beaded corset top that laced up in the back.

"I love it, Effie." I say, looking at myeslf in a full-length mirror. I take off the dress, and hang it up.

"Well, good. Now that we have the dress under control, we should start-"

"Effie! I am tired, we just spent four hours trying on dresses. We can do the rest of this tomorrow, we have a while."

"But-"

"Now I just want to go home and spend time with my finacee. Goodnight."

And with that, I walk out of the room, down the stairs, and over to my house. I kick off my shoes, and find Peeta on the couch. I curl up next to him, kissing him on the cheek.

"What is your definition of 'soon' exactly?" He asks.

"Whenever Effie will let me go. I finally escaped." I smile, and he does too.

"I'm glad." He kisses me. "What does the dress look like?"

"I've been sworn to secrecy." I say with a wink. He pouts, but I just roll my eyes, and get off the couch.

"Where are you going?" he asks.

Instead of answering him, I go to the kitchen, and get myself some cake. I mix it all together, and go sit back on the couch. I start eating the cake, and Peeta looks at me, an eyebrow raised.

"Still edible?" He asks. I shove a forkful into his mouth. "Very." he says.

"So, how about those cake plans?" I ask when we've finished the bowl.

"I've been sworn to secrecy." He says with a smirk. I lean in, sitting on his lap, our faces so close our lips are almost touching.

"I think I'll find a way to work it out of you." I murmur.

"Never." he whispers, closing his eyes.

I stand up, walking away.

"Fine then."

He laughs, and scoops me up, carrying me up the stairs to the bedroom. He throws me onto the bed, and climbs on top of me, putting his face very close to mine.

"We find ourselves in this position quite often, don't we?" I ask him.

"Not often enough." He says, leaning down and kissing me gently. He breaks away after a second, but I pull him back down, knotting my fingers in his hair. He wraps his arms around me, rolling so I'm laying on top of him. Our feet tangle as I kiss down his neck, and up the other side, finding his mouth again. His arms tighten around my waist, and I break away.

"What, is everything okay?" He asks.

"I just don't want to..."

"Oh." He says.

"Not that I don't want to! I just think we should wait, I mean, what if I-" But I freeze, my entire body coursed through by a chill.

"What is it? Katniss?"

I climb off him, and stand in to doorway, back to him.

"I'll be back in a little bit."

In a daze, I walk down the stairs, slip on shoes, and walk outside, and to the store. I vaguely hear the small bell jungle as I walk to the back of the store. I pick up the pouch, and not finding my voice to ask where Sae is, I leave the money on the counter and walk out.

I walk home, up the stairs, and into the bathorrm, shutting the door behind me and locking it. With shaky hands, I take the preganancy test out of the bag, and follow the instructions. I wit an agonizingly long time, and the let out a breath I didn't know I had been holding.

_Negative._

I open the bathroom door, and see Peeta, sitting on the bed. I instantly burst into tears, and walk over to him. He holds me close, and, trembling, I start talking.

"I'm sorry for leaving you like that."

"Are you alright? Where did you go?"

I look at him.

"I went to go buy a pregnancy test." I see a flicker of emotion in his face. Hope? That causes fresh tears to spring to my eyes as I shake my head slowly.

"It was negative. I was just so worried, because I don't want anything, especially not before the wedding, and..." I stop being able to form words, so I just cry.

"It's okay, Katniss."

"I'm so sorry!" I wail.

"Why are you sorry?" he asks.

"Because! You want kids, and I don't know if I'm going to be able to give them to you! I caertainly don't want them now, and I'm sorry for that."

"You don't have anythign to be sorry for. I will love you, whether or not we have children. Would I love them? Yes, and I'm know you would too. But I don't want them if you don't. I'm sorry you were scared you were preganant. You explicitly said you didn't want to do anythign until we were married, and yet I persisted. I'm sorry."

"Oh trust me, it was a mutual decision." I say to him. He kisses me softly.

"I love you."

"I love you too, more than anything. And it kills me to know I may not be able to give you everything you want."

"Katniss, you don't get it."

"Don't get what?"

"YOU are everything I want. As long as I have you, I'm the happiest I could be."

I hug him. I bury my face into his chest and say, "I'll try."

"You really don't have to, Katniss."

"I... I don't want to make any decisions before we get married. But... I'll try."

He kisses me once more, and I fall asleep.

The next day is filled with wedding planning with Effie. We pick where and exactly when, and she hand-writes the invitations on fancy paper. Peeta and I put them in envelopes and write addresses on them, and put them in a bag to mail out.

When I'm handed one with my mother's name on it, I pause. Peeta places a hand on my arm.

"If I could invite my parents, I would."

I look at him, and smile slightly. I put the fancy card in an envelope, and write her address on it. I put I in the pile, and we finish up quickly.

When we're done, we go over to Haymitch's house to deliver the invitition personally. As soon as we open the door we're immideatley hit with the smell of liquor. We see Haymitch passed out on the couch. Peeta goes over and wakes him up. Haymitch grumbles a few profanities, but sits up.

"What?" He asks grumpily.

"We have something to tell you." Says Peeta.

"Well tell me soon, I'm not a patient person."

"We know this already." I say, and he glares at me.

"What we would like to say," says Peeta, taking my hand, "Is that we're getting married."

"Wow." says Haymitch. "How'd you convince her?" He asks, nodding to me.

"I said yes. _Voluntairly_."

"I knew it was only a matter of time before you two got hitched." I remember what he told me so long ago, that I was going to have to marry Peeta. "Although, I thought it would be under different circumstances." We nod.

"The wedding is at the end of the month." Says Peeta.

"Jeez. Who made THAT decision?"

"Effie." I say. "She's has designated herself the title of wedding planner."

"Crazy clown lady is in town. Joy." He says.

"Actually, Effie wanted you to-"

"Woah, woah, woah. Before I get involved in _anything_ with that woman, I'm going to need some serious alone time with my bottles."

"Oh no you don't" Says Peeta. "You're going to have to be completely clean for this. I'm serious."

"And what if I refuse?" Haymitch questions.

"Then we'll have Effie come over here and convince you." I say.

"Fine." he says. "But there betetr be appropriate refreshments at the reception."

Peeta lets out a laugh.

The next week and a half is filled with cake tastings, dress fittings, dance classes, makeovers, and so much planning. By the end of it, we have the wedding planned down the the last minute detail, and we are exhausted. Peeta and I have don nothing but think about the wedding, we haven't gone to work, Effie has insisted on paying for everything.

Peeta and I lie under the willow trees, our first time with just each other in what seems like forever.

"We planned a wedding in two weeks." I say. "I didn't even know that was possible."

"One more day." he said. "There's tomorrow, then the wedding."

"Wow." I say.

"Any second thoughts?" He asks.

"Absolutely not." I say.

"Wow, I just rememebred something!" He says after a pause. "Something we haven't planned yet."

I gasp dramatically. "Something we haven't planned? What could this be?"

"The honeymoon."

"Oh!" I say. "I'm sure Effie has something in store for us."

"Don't you think that's something we should decide on our own?" He asks.

"Well, what did you have in mind?" I ask him.

"I don't know. We could go skiing in 2. Hiking in 7. A beachy vacation in 4."

"Ooh, that sounds nice." I say.

"4 it is. We'll take a train after the wedding."

I smile. "Sounds like a plan."

"Everything about that day sounds nice."

"Effie's not going to let you see me all that day, not until I walk down the isle." I say.

"Not even first thing in the morning?"

"You heard her." I said. "She's going to have me spend the night over there."

"So, tonight is the last night we have together before the wedding?"

"Correct."

"So... Why don't we..."

"No." I say, getting up, walking towards the house.

"Hey!" he calls after me. "Katniss!" he gets up, and runs after me. He stops me, and slips his arms around my waist.

"I was kidding." He says, kissing the top of my head. I turn around and face him.

"You better have been."

The next day, we sleep in as late as we can. When we're both fully woken up, we go downstairs to eat

"You had a nightmare last night." Peeta says, mouth full of cereal.

"I did?" _I don't remember him waking me up._

"Yes you did."

"Any idea what about?"

"No, after I woke you up, you went right back to sleep."

"Oh."

"What if you have a nightmare tonight? And I can't get to you?"

"Effie's pretty irratible when it comes to interrupting sleep, she'l find a way to wake me up."

"Okay..." He says, unconvinced.

We go over to Effie's, and she sits us down on the couch. She sits down in a large chair, and pulls out her big book.

"Now. Katniss, your dress has been fitted prperly, correct?"

"Yes."

"And Peeta, you have the cake under control?"

"Yes."

"Katniss your maid of honor will be?"

"I hadn't really thought about tha-"

"Me, then, thank you very much for asking, I'm honored. Peeta, who will your best man be?"

"My brother."

"Alright then. Do you both know what times you will need to be where tomorrow? I will be with you both, back and forth, all day, but just to make sure."

"Yes we do." I say, squeezing Peeta's hand.

"Good. Now, I'll go chack in with Haymitch, and when I get back, you two musn't see each other until tomorrow at the ceremony!" She claps her book shut, then leaves.

"Hey, it's not that long." I say, looking at him. "Plus, don't you have some sort of bachelor's party to get to tonight?"

"Yeah, my brother's got soemthing planned."

"Well, make sure you don't fall in love with any scantly clad women while I'm gone, okay?"

"I promise." He says, kissing me.

He left, several kisses later, and Effie arrived telling me the schedule I'd have to maintain for the rest of the day, some elaborate spa sort of treatments, done to me by none other than my prep team.

After being scrubbed, buffed, polished and waxed, I burned all over, and when I looked at myself in the mirror, I practically _glowed_.

They gave me a special mix to put in my bath that night that was supposed to help the burn go away, and relax me so I could get to bed faster.

After the bath, I did feel signifigantly sleepier than before, so I changed into the most plush pajamas I've ever felt in my whole life, tucked myself into the queen sized bed, and fell asleep.

**A/N: I'M SO EXCITED TO WRITE THE WEDDING SCENE! I came home to sooo many emails today about favorites, and reviews, and I was so happy I almost started crying. Seriously guys, it's amazing, and I love you all! **


	22. Chapter 22

**A/N: Hola! Read! XD**

Chapter 22

Katniss POV

Effie wakes me up very, very early in the morning. Still half asleep, I'md regged to a large, mirrored room. My prep team sits me down in a chair by the sink, and scrubs my face until it's beet red. Then, they dry it off, and apply some sort of cream to it.

They brush out my hair, commenting about what a shame it was that I lost all my hair. They wash it in the sink, adding different sweet-smelling products to it, then drying it off, leaving it silky smooth.

Then, they have me eat. I would have rather eaten before the sponge bath, but whatever. I have a bowl of yogurt mixed in with some sort of oat. It's pretty good, and I finish it quickly. Then I brush my teeth, cringing at the taste of toothpaste mixed with yogurt. I brush until my enitre mouth tastes like mint, then I keep brushing.

When I finish, I get dressed in whe clothes Effie left in my room, short, stretchy shorts that stick to my legs, and a skin-tight shirt. I slip on skeakers, and get into a car with Effie.

We're driven to a large church, and I'm ushered into a large room, with lots of windows. I'm seated in s large chair, and the prep team goes to town, plucking, tweezing, scrubbing, and buffing their finishing touches before putting my makeup on.

After makeup comes the hair, which is very simply brushed, and they stand me on a small platform, and slip my dress over my head. I look at myself in the full-length mirror as thay put on my veil, sttatched to small, sparkling tiara. I smile.

_I look beautiful. _

My team is crying now, so they leave with Effie, closing the door behind them, leaving me alone. I look t myself in the mirror, twirling in my dress, smiling. Suddenly, I hear a faint scratching noise. I look over a the door, and notice a small envelope. I walk over, and pick it up. My name is written on the outside.

I tear it open carefully, and pull out a piece of paper.

_See you in five._

_I love you. _

_-Peeta_

I look at the clock, and see that It's five minutes to the hour. I smile, clutching the letter close. Effie comes bursting back in, and grabs my hands. She looks me dead in the eyes.

"Are you okay?" She asks.

"I was about to ask you the same thing!" I say, laughing.

"I need to get ready to walk in, you need to get ready, the music will start any time now." She smiles, and kisses my cheek. Then, she turns around and leaves, and I follow behind her. The large doors open, and Effie walks in. I'm hiding out of sight of everyone, and Haymitch crosses to me, taking my arm. I'm handed a boquet, and a horrible thought courses through me.

_This is just like my dream. The boquet. The room. _

I look at the flowers weakly, but hold them high anyway. Haymitch pulls my veil over my face, smiles slightly, and nods. I close my eyes, take a deep breath, and step forward.

The room is beautiful. I walk down a long carpet covered in flower petals, and see the entire rom is covered in them. I look straight ahead, and I see Peeta. He smiles perhaps the biggest I've ever seen him wear. Before I know it. I'm in front of him, and the Preist starts reading the vows.

I don't even realize I'm speaking until I'm halfway through repeating everything. I don't even feel like I'm inside my body, more like I'm floating, watching what's going on.

"I do." I hear myself say.

"You may now kiss the bride."

Peeta lifts my veil, and I see his shining blue eyes. He leans in, and kisses me. The room breaks out in applause, and Peeta pulls away. I look out, and see splotchy-tear soaked faces, everybody smiling. I smile in return, and take Peeta's hand. We walk back down the isle, and out to a car waiting for us.

When we climb in, hom after me, everyone gathers outside, waving. Peeta waves out the window smiling, and I do the same. When we're driving away, I hug him, then kiss him.

"I love you, Peeta."

"I love you, Mrs. Mellark." He says, and kisses me again.

We arrive at the reception house about five minutes later. He gets out first, extenfing a hand, and helping me out of the car. We walk in, and I gasp. If I thought the church was beautiful, I don't know what this is.

There are flowers everywhere, with crystals sround and on them. Everything seems to be sparkling. I see a giant, towering white wedding cake, and trays covered in little white bowls. I walk over to them, trying to get a closer look. I see, inside each one, is a neat scoop of cake mash. I turn around, and hug Peeta. He spins me around, and kisses me.

People start filing in, and Peeta and I take a seat at a large table. Pertty soon, Everyone's here, congratulating us, and music is playing. I see Haymitch at the bar, and walk over to him.

"Thank you for coming today." I say.

"Thank you for the booze." He says, lifting his glass.

I hug him, and give him a kiss on the cheek. Then, I start walking back to the table, looking around. Peeta meets me on the dacefloor, taking my hand.

"May I have this dance?" He asks.

"Of course!" I say.

He spins me aorund, and we dance. I completley block everything out, focusing on this dance, right now. We keep perfect time to the music, his stoping at points to twirl me, and when the music fades out, we see that everyone was watching us. We go and sit back at the table, ane everybody starts dancing again. Even Effie seems to loosen up and have a good time.

Peeta looks at me.

"I'm going to go get ONE drink of champagne for each of us." He winks, and gets up. I watch him walk over, and I feel a hand on my back.

"Hey... Catnip." I hear the horribly slurred voice of none other than Gale Hawthorne.

"Gale, get out of here right now."

"No! I want to dance with the beautiful bride!" He says.

"No, Gale. Leave, now."

"Hey!" He yells, and the entire room goes silent. Everyone freezes, staring at Gale and I. I look to Peta quickly, then back to Gale.

"I said I wanted a dance." And with that, he lifts me up by my arms, and pulls me out to the dance floor. Everyone clears it.

He starts clumsily spinning me, humming a song, not carrying any sort of tune. Peeta finally walks up, and I take a step back.

"Hey, I was dancing with her!" Gale says, he walks over to Peeta, and swings at hin, hitting him in the side of the face.

"Peeta!" I yelp.

Peeta swings back at Gale, hitting him right in the center of his face, knocking him down. Peeta's brother and another man carry Gale out.

After that, music starts playing again, and people reluctantly get back to the floor. But beofre long, things are in full swing.

"Don't worry, every wedding has its crasher."

"But the groom doesn't usually get punched in the face." I say, kissing his cheek, where the red mark is.

He shrugs, then stants up.

"How about some cake?" He says loudly, and people smile, nodding, and start forming a line in front of the cake table. Of course, Peeta and I are served first, and we stuff each other's faces. I could see Effie's face palen, (yes, somehow it was possible,) when the cake messed up my makeup, and got in a bit of my hair.

Then, everyone takes the cake bowls, eyeing them cautiously. But when they take a bite, they show signs of liking it.

After while, everyone starts clearing out. Peeta and I were the last to leave. We thank the band, and stand in the empty reception hall.

He takes my hand, and pulls me close to him. I put my head on his shoulder, wrapping my arms around his neck. We start moving slowly, dancing to no music.

"Are you okay?" He asks into my hair.

"Yeah, just tired."

He kisses me.

"We better get going if we're gonna catch that train." He says.

**A/N: I WOULD have written more, but if you want me to update today, this is where I'm gonna have to stop it! :D**


	23. Chapter 23

**A/N: So, no big deal, I just Kik'd Jack Quaid last night, and he replied. Three times to three messages I sent. Really, no big deal. :DDDDDDDDDDDDDD**

**Oh my gosh, I'm os sorry I didn't update last night, I just hardly got to write yesterday!**

Chapter 23

Katniss POV

We leave the reception hall, and climb into a car. I lean on Peeta's shoulder as we drive to the train station. The driver stops, and we climb out. It's raining lightly now, and I have to hold my skirt up to keep it from getting all muddy. The driver gets out, and gets two suitcases out of the trunk of the car.

He carries them onto the train with us, and we thank him. We look around the large car, and I remember the last time I was on a train.

I shake my head, looking at the chandeliers, and the large living room area. In the connecting car, there is a bedroom. I slip off my heels, and pick up my suitcase.

"I'm gonna go change." I say.

I walk to the bedroom, and I feel us lurch forward. It takes a second for me to steady myself, but I keep walking. I set the case on the bed. I zip it open, and look through the clothes. Effie packed for me. The first thing I pull out is a very lacy lingerie set. I set it on the bed, and keep rifling. I pull out two bathing suits, and swim covers.

"Are there any real clothes in here?" I say, throwing the suits back in the case.

"Everything all right?" Asks Peeta, knocking on the door.

"Fine," I say, and he comes in. "I just can't find any clothes."

He comes over, and picks the lingerie up, with a smirk on his face. I snatch it out of his hands, scowling.

He looks through the suitcase carefully, picking clothes out one at a time. I see shorts, and tanktops. Finally, he finds a pair of athletic shorts, and a T-shirt.

"Good enough! Thank you!" I say, kissing him on the cheek, and walking to the small bathrom.

At least, it looked small.

Inside, there is a large shower, a sink, and a toilet. I carefully take off my dress, and pull on the shorts and shirt.

I wash what makeup is left on my face off, scribbing frosting out of my eyebrows, laughing slightly. When I'm done, I walk back into the bedroom, and sit on the bed. I see Peeta has already changed, hanging his tuxedo on the back of a chair. I scoot close to him, wrapping my arms around him.

"Are you okay?" He asks, tracing a finger along my arm.

"I'm sorry Gale hit you." I say after a second.

"I'm not. I've been wanting an excuse to knock that guy out for a while. Now, could you answer me?"

"My mom didn't come." I say quietly.

"I know." He says. "And I'm sorry." He kisses my cheek. I look at him, and smile.

"Hey Peeta?"

"What?"

"We're married."

He smiles.

"And..." I say, "We're on our way to our honeymoon."

He kisses me, rolling me on top of him. I smile agains his lips.

"I had an amazing day." I say.

"I did too."

"I love you." I say.

"I love you."

He kisses me again, and I kiss him back. His hand moves down my back, as mine move to the back of his neck. I break away after a second, and tilt my head to the side, yawning. I roll off Peeta, and look up at the ceiling. I rub my eyes.

"I'm so tired!" I say. I look at Peeta, and see a hint of dissappointment on his face.

"I'm sorry, not tonight." I say.

"That's fine." He says, stretching. "I'm pretty tired, too."

I kiss him once more.

"Thank you."

He turns beside him, and turns the lamp off. I curl close to him, and fall asleep.

We wake up in the morning, and the train is almost to 4. I change into the tanktop and shorts, finding the top of the shorts come halway up my stomach. I tuck the tanktop in, and find I really like the way it looks. I brush my hair and teeth, and once again, emerge from the bathroom to find Peeta dressed. I walk over, and kiss him, placing a hand on his chest.

"Good morning Mrs. Mellark." he says.

"That's the second time you've called me that." I say, smiling.

"I just love the sound of it." He says, pulling me into another kiss.

The train stops, and we climb off, carrying suitcases. The first step we take off the train lands us in sand. We look aroud, and see lots of glowing, almost golden beaches. The air is warm, and the ocean is a beautiful blue. We walk towards a cluster of buildings we make out to be the town.

We finally find the hotel. It's right on the beach, with an amazing view of the ocean. There is a terrace with two chairs, and a large tub.

"What do you want to do?" I ask, looking a the brochure. "Scuba diving, spa treatments, ooh! We could go biking!"

He comes over, wrapping his arms aorund me.

"I just want to spend some time with my wife. How about we go down to the beach, the two of us, no activities. Whatever we feel like doing."

"Sounds really good." I say, kissing him. "After we unpack."

I lay my suitcase on the bed, and start to pull out my clothes. Peeta does the same. I cringe when I pull out the lacy liegerie, and stuff it in a drawer.

I don't know how I missed all the clothes, or how Effie packed them all, but there is lotsof stuff in the bag. When I'm done unpacking, I open a drawer and pull out a bathing suit and swim cover. I go into the bathroom to change.

It's a blue bikini, and the swim cover is the same thing. Well, I don't really know what to call it, it's thin skirt that ties at my hip. I walk out of the bathroom, and Peeta's waiting to get changed, holding his swim shorts. He steps intot he bathroom after me, and I put on a pair of strappy silver sandals. I also grab sunglasses.

When he comes out of the bathroom, he slips on sandals and sunglasses, and we walk to the beach, hand-in-hand.

We sit on the sand, and I take my sandals off. I lean my head on his shouler. There are lots of other people around us, walking, talking, laughing.

After it's too hot to bear, we go swimming. The water isn't cold, or very warm either. But we have fun, swimming, and splashing. He picks me up, spins me, and throws me into the waves. We have an amazing time, and after we're done swimming, we lay on the beach to dry.

Then, we go out to lunch in a little resteraunt near the hotel. We eat outside, under a bug umbrella. We order the seafood buffet, and it's all so deliciously fresh, we eat almost all of it. We're so fullw e can barely walk, but somehow we make it back to the hotel.

We look through the brochures, plannign what to do next. We decide to relax on the beach for the remainder of the day, then go to dinner on a large sailboat.

When we can comfortable walk around, not too full, we walk back to the beach. We lay on a blanket, and after a while go back swimming. We get tired of this, and go to walk around town.

There are lots of small shops, and everythign's so bright, sunny, and clean. The shops are nearly identical, bright colors on the outside, big windows, and shelves and shelves of trinkets. There are clothign stores, and I buy a long, white stretchy dress, and Peeta gets a small glass ball filled with some sort of clear liquid. It has sand at the botton, with small rocks, coral, and sea creatures in it. It's beautiful.

We go in all of the sotores, not really buying anything. We stop by the bakery, and Peeta buys a small bag of cookies. We eat the as we walk. With the first bite, I almost spit them out.

"These are salty!" I say.

"Well, everything around here is coated in a layer of salt." Says Peeta. "It's District 4, come on!"

We go back to the hotel, and I have enough time to change into my new dress before we go to dinner. Peeta is in a while button-down shirt and khaki pants.

Dinner is seafood, again, but we still love it. Warm rolls are served with dinner.

"Yours are way better." I say to Peeta, and he smiles.

After dinner, the band that was quietly playing now picks up the tempo, and Peeta swings me onto the dance floor. We don't dance slowly, like at our wedding, but a fast dance, involving lots of spinning. Peeta looks like he knows what he's doing, and I just learn as we go. Other couples join us, and we dance as the sun sets.

Dessert comes, and tastes signifigantly less salty than the cookies. It's a chocolate pie, topped with fluffy, white whipped cream. After dessert, people go back to dnacing, it it's much slower now. Peeta and I dance, with my head on his shoulder, and his cheek on the top of my head. After the song, the band starts playing faster music again, and Peeta and I sit down.

Waiters and waitresses come around with tall flutes of bubbling champagne, and Peeta and I each take one. After a while,w e go back to dance again. It's dark now, and strings of twinkling lights hanging above us we hadn't noticed before turned on, resembling stars.

When we get back to the dock, I take off my sandals and we walk along the beach, barefoot. We quitely creep into the hotel, and go up to our room. I brush the sand off my feet, and pull off my dress, stil wearing my bathing suit underneath. I pull on a tanktop and I look throught themdrawer for pajama shorts, but the only ones I can find are cottony, like pajamas, but very short. I pull them on anyway, and sit on the enge of the bed.

Peeta comes out of the bathrom shirtless, with long pajama pants on. His hair is sticking straight up.

I smile, and walk over to him, combing it with my fingers so it's less wild.

"There." I say. "All better."

He smiles. "Thank you."

I kiss him.

"I had a beautiful day with you." I say.

"The first of many." he says, pulling me close.

He kisses me softly, laying me down on the bed. He breaks away after a minute, and looks at me. I nod slightly.

"Are you sure?" He asks.

"Positive." I say, kissing him again.

**A/N: I will write about most things, but I draw the line at sex scenes. Especially because people I know read my stuff. This is why I don't tell people I write...**


	24. Chapter 24

**A/N: I REEEEALLY want ot know what you guys think should happen! BUT, to shake things up a bit, here is a chapter in GALE's perspective. **

Chaper 24

Gale POV

I wake up, inhling deeply through my nose. It's bright, so I don't open my eyes. I feel something cool being pressed against my face.

"Hey, are you awake?" I hear a young woman's voice ask. I grunt in reply. "Good, I was starting to get worried." She laughs lightly. "You've been out all day."

"I was drunk." I mumble. "I think I crashed a wedding?"

"Yep!" She says. "You showed up to Katniss and Peeta's wedding, and danced with Katniss. Then you tried to punch Peeta, and he knocked you out."

"Oh." I say I rub my eyes, and sit up. I slowly open my eyes, squinting against the bright light. "Could you close the curtains or something? It's way too bright in here."

The room darkens after a second, and I open my eyes fully.

I see Madge Undersee, themayors daughter, sitting on a cot beside the one I'm sitting on. She smiles cheerfully.

"Where am I?" I ask.

"You're in the doctor's office."

"And you're here because?"

"Beause I'm a nurse here now, silly."

"Oh." I say. I lay back down, and close my eyes again. "How long did you say I was out for?"

"A day."

I nod slightly, but I find out the hard way that I have a horrible headache, and wince.

"Headache?" She asks. She dissappears inot the other room, coming back with two small plastic cups. One has two small white pills in it, and the other is full of wter. She hands both to me. I take the medicine, and hand the cups back to her.

"Thanks." I say. I look around, noticing the room is full of eompty cots. "Not many other sick people?" I ask. "I find that hard to believe. Or can they just not pay?"

"No, people don't often have to pay. Most of us, including myself, work here for no pay, and most of the medical supplies we get, that are sent to us from the Capitol, come at a discount price, so the money we would be getting as salary, goes to the medical equipment."

"How does that work?"

"The facilitly here is allowed a certain amount of money, and that's divided into salary, equipment, bills, et cetera. But we found out the equipment is more expensive than we thought, so a bunch of us gave up pay, so we could order everything."

"That's confusing." I say. "But good for you."

She smiles. "I just want what's best for people."

"A good quality for a nurse to have."

She laughs, and sits back down. He auburn ringlets bouce slightly as she sits.

"When can I be released?" I ask.

"Today probably." She says. "We just have to run a few tests." And with that, a tall man comes in, and sits next to Madge. He asks me questions, scribbling things down on a clipboard.

"Well." He says. "You should be good to go. Nothing really to be concerned about."

He stands up and leaves, and I stand up, too. Madge leads me ot the front door, and I step out into the street.

"Need help home?" She asks.

"No thanks, I've got it." I say, walking in the direction of my house.

When I get there, I lay down on the couch. I close my eyes again, but I'm woken up my a loud knock on my door. I get up, and answer it.

Standing on my porch is Madge Undersee, with a small container in her hand.

"We forgot to give you medecine for your headaches."

"No, that's o-" But she takes my hand, and presses the container into my palm.

"They'll help."

"Okay. Thank you."

"I'm going to stop in to check in on you, make sure you're doing okay. Is that alright?"

"Sure." I say.

"Okay." She says, and turns to leave.

I go back inside, and close the door. I look at the container, and read the dosage instructions.

_Take two every two hours, as needed. _

I set them on the kitchen counter, and go lay back down. I close my eyes and fall asleep. When I wake back up, it's around 5.

I lay there, and my stomach starts growling. I stand up, and walk into the kitchen. I look through the cupboards, trying to figure out what to have for dinner. Suddenly, there's a knock on my front door. I open it to once again, find Madge.

"When you said you'd check in on me later, I didn't know you meant later today." I say, but I open the door wider, inviting her in none the less.

"I was just about to have dinner." I say.

"Ooh, what's good?" She asks.

"I haven't decided. Anything in particular that you want, since you've invited yourself?"

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-"

"No it's fine, I was joking. You're welcome to have dinner here."

"Oh, good. I was worried." She blushes slightly, and tucks a piece of hair behind her ear.

"Well, let's figure out what to eat!" I say.

After much pondering, we manage to pull together a small salad, and roasted rabbit. I set the table, embarassed that no two plates or cups of mine match, and the mayor's daughter is eating here.

We serve ourselves, and dig in. I find myself to be very hungry, and I eat quickly. Madge, on the other hand, carefully cuts everything up, eating the salad first, picking at her rabbit.

"You're barely touching your rabbit." I say.

"Yeah, I'm not big on meat." She says, going back to her salad.

"Well, now I feel bad. I would've given you all the salad, and I would have taken all the meat."

"No, that's fine." She says. "But maybe next time, though."

"Next time?" I ask, raising an eyebrow.

"Well..." She blushes. "If you wouldn't mind, I was plannign on checking in on you daily."

"Is that your way of tellign me you just want to spent time with me?" I ask with a wink.

"No! Fine, I'll show up first thing in the morning to check in on you, how does that sound?"

"Calm down! I was KIDDING."

"Well, you should stop. It's not funny."

"I think it's funny."

"Well it's not!"

"Okay, okay! I surrener! I'll stop!"

"Good." She says. She looks at her plate. "I'm done."

"You don't eat much."

"I wasn't that hungry to begin with." She says.

"Okay." I say, taking her plate, eating her meat. "Well.. I was!"

She laughs slightly.

"Someone needs to teach you some manners."

"Nah. Don't have anywhere I need to use them for."

"They'd be good to use every day."

"I can have manners, when I want to."

"And you don't want to right now?"

"Not really!"

She laughs.

"So, what are you checking up on me for anyway?" I ask.

"Oh, you know, to make sure nothing's going wrong."

"What would go wrong?"

"I don't really know. I'm just doing what I was told."

"Fair enough. And how long do you have to monitor me for, exactly?"

"Are you asking me to leave?"

"I'm saying I'm tired."

"Well, then. I'm feeling a bit sleepy myself. I think I'll head on home."

"Alright." I say. "I'll see you tomorrow then?"

"Yes you will!" She says with a smile, then leaves. I open the door for her on her way out. After closing it, I go to my bedroom, and lay down, somehow still tired.

_Madge Undersee_. I think. Never really a gil who had crossed my mind before. But a girl who was determined to stick around. At least, for a while.

**A /N: A weird perspective to write in, I don't know if I'll continue on this part of it. Let me know what you all think! **


	25. Chapter 25

**A/N: Howdy 'yall! :D Can't believe I've written so much! And to everybody who has either commented, subscribed, or favortied, I LOVE YOU SO MUCH! I'm serious!**

Chapter 25

Katniss POV

The next morning, when I wake up, the door to the terrace is open. The sunlight is filling the entire room, and it's already warm out. I can hear the waves crashing on the beach outside.

I close my eyes, and try to fall back asleep. I'm wide akwake though, listening ot the sounds of waves, seagulls, people talking, children playing and laughing on the beach. It's surprising how early people are out there in the morning, because of how late I see some of them out there. Maybe they just live on the beach.

_I wouldn't mind living on a beach_. I think. _I mean, I practically lived in the woods. It's warmer here, too. _

It's ridiculous, thinking of living on the beach. I take a deep breath, just listening again. I hear children arguing over who gets to use the sand pail. I hear the voice of an older woman, their mother perhaps, telling them that neither of them get the pail, because they were fighting over it.

_What would I tell my kids?_ I ask myself. _Woah! Where did that come from? What kids? You don't want kids, Katniss. But Peeta does. And you promised him you'd try. _

Suddenly, I feel a kiss on my shoulder. I turn to see Peeta, and he smiles.

"Good morning." I scoot closer to him, and kiss him.

"Good morning."

I hug him close, and we lie there for a while.

"What should we do?" I ask.

"Well, I defintaely want to go swimming again. And, if you look at the brochure, it says there's a small carnival a while up the street."

"Carnival." I say, testing the word. I recognize it, but can't quite figure out what it is. Suddenly, I snap my fingers. "Oh! It's one of those things with all the games, and the strange food, and the..."

"Rides." Says Peeta, and amused look on his face.

"Rides!" I exaclaim. "That sounds like so much fun!"

"Well, we could head down to the beach, then head to the Carnival afterwards?"

I smile, and kiss him.

"Sounds perfect." I say. I go to get out of bed, and for the first time today, realize I am naked. I shriek, and pull a blanket over me. I grab clothes, and run to the bathroom.

He laughs, standing outside the door.

"Everything okay in there?"

"Yeah, fine!" I yelp.

I put on a bathing suit, an orange now, not blue. I pull on white demin shorts, and a light, meshy shirt. When I walk out of the bathroom, Peeta is shirtless, in swim shorts.

"Ready to go to the beach?" He asks.

"Yes!" I say, and we head down.

The water is warmer today than yesterday, and we dive right in. After swimming for a minute, we have competitions to see who can stay underwater the longets, who can swim the farthest, etc. After that, I try balancing on Peeta's knees, but fall backwards several times. I have water up my nose, but I'm laughing like a madman anyways.

We lay on the warm sand to dry. I flip around, laying my cheek on my arms, I almost fall asleep, but I feel water at my toes.

"Wow." I say, sitting up. "The tide rose fast."

"Either that or we've been laying here for a long time." He says with a laugh, and we stand up. I try to brush the sand off myself, but fail.

"Before the carnival I need to take a shower." I say.

"Me too." he says, and we walk back up to the hotel.

I pull off my shirt, and throw it in the hamper, standing in the large bathroom in the bikini top and shorts. Oddly, I feel comfortable this way.

"Hey," I call to Peeta. "You said you needed to take a shower?"

"Yeah, could you hurry up, I don't want to get sand ll over everything."

"Well, you chould shower now." I say.

I open the bathroom door just a crack.

"That's if, you wouldn't mind me being there, too. We'd save time, and water..."

But he's already in the bathroom, and is carrying me to the shower, me laughing the whole way.

Aftr the shower, I get dressed back in the whte shorts and shirt. We head to the carnival, and the first thing I see is a giant metal wheel, with small circular cars on them.

"What's that?" I ask, pointing.

"It's called a ferris wheel." He says.

"How do you know so much?" I ask, taking his hand.

"Lots of books around as a kid, I guess." He says with a smile.

We walk through the carnival, looking at the rides and games, and stopping by one of the food stands for ice cream cones.

We eat them as we ride on metal horses on something Peeta calls a merry-go-round. Then, we go over to the games.

There's a large tank of water, and when you throw a bal at at target, the person sitting in the tank falls into the water.

They ask for volunteers to sit in the tank, and noticing how few people actually got dunked, I volunteer.

I climb up a small ladder, and sit on a ledge. The man who runs the game yells for people to come try to dunk me. I sit there, smiling, hamming it up. A few people in the crowd recognize me, but most don't, probably because of the hair.

Peeta steps forward, and mays the man. He is handed three white balls, ans he stands on a line. He throws them at the target missing each one. I stick my tongue out at him, and he buys another round of balls. He throws the first one...

_Miss._

The second one...

_Miss. _

"Ha!" I yell. He looks at me, and winks. Then, he draws his arm back, and the ball hits the center of the target. It takes a split second before...

_Splash!_

The ledge I was sitting on ives out, and I find myself in cool water. It's not salty, and not pleasant. I stand up couhing, and I'm helped out by the big man.

"A round of applause for our lovely lady!" He booms,a nd the small crowd that has gathered starts clapping. Sopping wet, I walk over to Peeta, and hug him. He wraps his arms around me in return, then we walk out of the center of attention, back towards the rides.

We walk in a small building with a sign that reads "Haunted house". The wall are lines with pictures of creepy people, monsters, and pictures of people who's eyes follow you as you walk by.

I step on a board, and it bends under my weight. A loud foghorn sounds, and I jump, but Peta's right behind me, laughing.

We walk through the rest of it, the walls getting closer and closer together until we finally stumble out.

"That wasn't that scary." I say.

"You almost peed your pants when that loud horn went off."

"Did not!" I say, slapping him playfully.

"Did to." He says, and we walk back over to the food. We get a large plate of fried potato strips, or, 'fries' for short. We eat them, and finding them very salty, Peeta goes and buys a water. We share it, and we quickly finish the pototoes.

After that, we go ride small cars, and the point of the game is to run into other cars. It's really fun, and I spend most of my time driving away from Peeta. But, after a while, I turna round, and start chasing him. After that, we go ride the merry-go-round again. At one of the games, Peeta wins me a giant teddy bear. It's ginormous, and hard to carry around, but I manage.

The sun is settign, and we get on something called a roller coaster, leaving the bear outside the gates. It looks sort of like a small train. They sit Peeta and I up front, and he as a mischevious look on his face. They fasten us in, pulling large bars over our laps. Then, it starts moving. We're climbing a super steep hill, and I get a nervous feeling in my stomach.

I grip Peeta's hand, and look down. Big mistake. We musi be hindreds of feet in the air. I see the bear, looking miniscule.

We're at the top of the hill, with an amazing view of the sunset over the ocean. Then, we're fallign down so fast it doesn't even register for a minute. I scream, half-laughing. We;re going very, very fast, my hair blowing back. I hold on to the bar on my lap as we make sarp turns, and loop upside down, and sideways. Then, it's all over.

I get of, dizzy, and my legs feel like they're made of butter. Peeta helps me out, and we walk back outside. I grab my teddy bear, and clutch it close. We go to the small, obviously man-made pond, and pedal around in small boats, driving slowly.

When we get off the boats, I look up at the ferris wheel. It's lit up with brightly colored blinking lights. We walk over to it, and we're sat down in a large seat. I scoot close to Peeta, and set the bear on the seat next to me.

It's dark out now, and we slowly make our way to the top of the ferris wheel. We stop, frozen up there, and suddenly, pops of bright color appear in the sky.

"Fireworks!" I say, and we watch them for a while. They're beautiful.

We can see the whole carnival from up here, and the enitre place in completely lit up. There are lights overywhere, blinking, flashing, twirling in patterns. After a long time, but it still feels like too soon, we're slowly lowered down.

We leave after that, slowly walking back to the hotel, hearing the carnival behind us. We're carrying our shoes. Walking along the sand. There are a few fires here and there on the beach, with groups of people sitting around them. Some are laughing, and some singing. Some sre just sitting there, leanign against another person, staring at the fire.

We get back to the room, and I set the big bear on the chair, and collapse on the bed.

"Tired?" he asks, laying down next to me. I grunt in reply.

He turns my face, so he can kiss me, and pulls me close.

"I'm so tired..." I mumble, and curl up inot his chest.

"Goodnight." I hear him say, but he sounds so far away.

"Good..." But I fall asleep.

**A/n: Sorry I didn't update until late! I'll have either more than one chapter tomorrow, or a really long one! PINKIE PROMISE!**

**Questions? Comments? Concerns?**

**I read all mu comments, and each one makes me smile. :)**


	26. Chapter 26

**A/N: Yay! Writing! :D **

Chapter 26

Katniss POV

In the morning, Peeta and I wake up at the same time. The door is closed.

"Was the room cold last night?" I ask.

"I didn't think it was, but you were shivering."

"Really?"

"Yeah, it was weird. But, I closed the door, and you slept close to me, and that seemed to help."

"Well, thank you. I'll just call you Heater now."

"Don't you dare." He says, laughing. I lean in to kiss him, but suddenly, my stomach lurches, and I make a mad dash to the bathroom.

I put my head over the toilet, and vomit. I feel like I completely empty my stomach, but I can' stop heaving. Peeta is behind me, rubbing my back, and holding my hair. Finally, I calm down, and start breathing normally again. I'm shaky, and he helps me back to bed.

"Are yo alright?" He asks.

"Never better." I say. I find that I'm thirsty, and start to get up. "I'm thirsty." I say, but He pushes me back onto the bed.

"No, I'll get it." He syas, and goes to get me water. When he comes back, I down the entire glass.

"Thank you." I say. He kisses my forehead. "I think I just ate some funky food yesterday."

"Probably." He says. Suddenly, the feeling I had in my stomach comes back, and I have to runt ot he bathroom again. I throw up all of the water I just drank.

"What is wrong with me?" I yelp.

"I'll go get a doctor." He says, and I go back to bed. I try to fall back asleep, but my stomach hurts too bad. Peeta and the doctor come back, and she walks over to me. She talks to me, asks me questions, and examines me, poking and prodding, and scribbling things down.

"Well," She says, "I have good news, and I have bad news."

"What's the good news?" I ask.

"You just have a common stomach bug, you don't need antibiotics. It should clear up in a day or so."

"What's the bad news?" I ask. _Other than the fact that I can't eat, drink, or sleep. _

"It's highly contagious. You two are here visiting, correct?" Peeta nods. "Well, I'm sorry, but you may want to consider calling it a trip."

She closes up her bag, and Peeta thanks her, and she leaves.

He comes and sits beside me on the bed.

"Maybe we should go hom early."

"No!" I say. "We should stay, this is our honeymoon. Like she said, I'll get better soon!"

"And, she also said we should go home. We can come back sometime."

I whimper.

"I'm sorry."

"For what? Gettign sick? It's not like you could help that. Now..." He tucks me in. "You stay here and rest. I'll pack, and get us train tickets. Okay?"

I nod my head, frowning. He kisses my forehead.

"I love you." he says.

"I love you, too."

And with that, he leaves. I get up, and force open the door. I breathe in gulps of fresh sea air. It seems to help, so I go over the the bed, and pull a blanket off of it. Then, I go sit on a chair on the deck. The slaty air calms my stomach. I wrap the blanket tightly around me, and fall asleep.

I wake up when Peeta gets back. He comes out to the terrace, and picks me up. I wrap my arms around his neck, and put my head on his shoulder.

"Do I need to get dressed?" I mumble.

"No, our train isn't for another two hours. And you picked the right day to get sick, there's a huge storm coming. It'll last for a few days."

"Oh." I say, and snuggle up on the bed. "Will you come lay with me?"

"Of course." He says. He closes the door, and I see that it has started raining. He lays down, and I wrap my arms around him, laying my head on his chest.

"I'm gonna gat you sick." I say into his shirt.

"I don't get sick often." he says.

"Neither do I, but here we are."

"Touche." He says, and I close my eyes. I almost fall asleep, but my stomach still hurts.

I must have fallen asleep at some point in time, because suddenly, Peeta's gently nudging me, telling me we need to get ready to go th the train.

He's already packed our suitcases, and I change into pants. I pull on a jacket, and sneakers. I carry my suitcase, and the giant bear. We walk to the train, the rain is pouring down, and the wind is blowing fiercely.

We climb on, and we're escorted to what I believe is the car we were in when we arrived in 4. I pull on a big T shirt and pants. The pants seem way to large at the waist, but I tie them, and they stay up.

I lay in bed, very cold. I wonder where Peeta is, and my stomach lurches as the train starts moving. I run to the bathroom, but don't throw up. I mamage to crawl back to bed, and slip under the covers. I grab Peeta, who is lying in bed now, and fall asleep, listenign to the rain pounding on the metal roof.

I slip in and out of sleep for the rest of the day. Sometimes, I wake up and I'm really warm, so I kick off the blankets. Then I'm cold, so I pull them back up.

When I wake up, fully wake up, I realize three things. One, the Peeta I was laying next to wasn't Peeta, it was my stuffed bear. Two, I don't know where the real Peeta is. And three, I'm seriously thirsty. I get out of bed, and walk to the mini bar. I look through all the bottles, trying to find water. The closest I come is the large bin of ice cubes.

I fill a glass with them, and sit on the couch. I suck on them slowly, waiting for the moment when the water hits my stomach, and I have to go running to the bathroom. I pull my hair out of my face, finding my face feels really warm. I have a fever, I shrug, and keep eating ice cubes.

I hear a door open, and I sit up. Peeta walks in.

"Where were you?" I ask, surprised at the sound of my own voice. It's scratcy, and weak. I sound like I'm about to cry.

"I just went for a walk, I'm sorry. You were asleep, and I was-"

"Bored?" I ask.

"I'm sorry." He says.

"Don't be." I say. "I wasn't much company, anyway. So, what's on the rest of the train?"

"A bar cart. A few other living carts, a bakery cart."

"Did you get any food?"

"Nah, it all looked stale."

"I bet." I say, laying back down.

"So, have you eaten anything?"

"No, I'm not hungry at all."

"Okay. Well, do you want to get back to bed?"

"No!" I say. "I've spent all day in bed!"

But the truth was, I really did want to, and it didn't take much convincing on his part to get me to go lay back down.

Peeta lays down with me, the real Peeta this time, and I get close to him.

"What time is it?" I ask.

"It's around 8." He says.

"At night? Wow, I've been asleep all day. I don't blame you one bit for exploring. I'm glad you did, I would've felt bad."

He kisses the top of my head.

"Goodnight, Katniss."

"Goodnight Peeta."

"I love you."

"I'm sorry I ruined our honeymoon."

"You didn't. We still had two amazing days, and we wouldn't have had much fun today anyway."

"Okay." I say. "I love you, too."

And then, I fall asleep.

**A/N: WOW I didn't have NEARLY as much tiem today as I would have liked. **

**Poll: (first in a while)**

**What is the last movie you watched?**


	27. Chapter 27

**A/N: Bad news- I wasn't home all day yesterday, so I couldn't write, so I couldn't update. Good news- I wasn't home, but I was seeing THE AVENGERS! :D I loved it! **

Chapter 27

Katniss POV

I drift in and out of consciousness, and even when I'm partially awake, everything's fuzzy.

I'm on the train...

Outside, staring at the clouds...

Trees flying by...

Then, I'm staring at the familiar ceiling of my bedroom.

I lay there. I only move my head, turning so I can see the time.

_1:30_

I sigh, and pull my blankets closer. I see the bear on the chair, a few feet from the bed. My stomach still hurts, but not nearly as much as before.

There's a glass of water on the table beside me, and I drink the entire thing in one breath. I let out a sigh, and wipe my mouth.

The window is open, and a breeze sweeps across the room. I breathe in the fresh air, curling my toes under the blanket. The air, instead of the salt I'd been used to, smelled like grass, flowers, and forest.

I close my eyes, and smile. I hear the bedroom door open, and I open my eyes, and see Peeta.

"Good morning, Sleeping Beauty." He says with a smile, walking over to me.

"More like afternoon." I say.

"How are you feeling?" He asks.

"So much better."

"I'm glad. It's good to see you smiling." He says, and kisses me.

"When did we get home?" I ask. "How did I get home?"

"We got home earlier today, and I carried you."

"Which explains the clouds..." I say.

"What?"

"Never mind!" I say with a laugh, and hug him.

"I'm sorry we had to leave early." I say into his shoulder.

"Like I said, we can go back. We would have had to leave at some point in time."

"Okay." I say, kissing his cheek.

"Careful! I could get sick!" He says sarcastically.

"You don't get sick." I say. "Plus, you just kissed me."

"Oh yeah. I forgot." He says, kissing me again. I kiss him back, pulling him to me. He lays m down, kissing my face and neck. I open my eyes, and slip out from under him. I run downstairs and to the kitchen.

I look around for something to do, and so I pull open the cupboard. I fill a pot with water, and put it on the stove to boil, making lots of noise in the process. I hear Peeta coming down the stairs.

"Are you okay?" He asks.

"Yeah!" I say, facing him. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"Well, you ran out of there pretty fast..."

"Oh, I'm just hungry." I turn quickly, and start fishing around in the cupboard for pasta. "Haven't eaten in a while."

"Okay..." He says, unsure. I pour the pasta into the pot when the water starts to boil, and some splashes back onto my arm and hand. I shriek, and run it under cold water.

"Are you okay?" Peeta asks rushing over to me, worried.

"Fine." I say through my teeth. "Just burned myself."

"I'm sorry." He says.

"Nothing you could've done." I say, my tone softer now. He kisses me on the cheek.

"Okay." he says.

"Why don't you go paint? Yu haven't done that in a long time." I say.

"No, I haven't... I think I will." He says, turning to his art room.

"Good." I turn him back around, kissing him.

I mix the cooked, strained pasta with butter and salt, and eat three bowls of it. When I'm full, I wash all the dishes, and pack up the rest of the pasta.

I go upstairs, and take a long, warm shower. When I'm done, I pull on the usual shorts and a T-shirt, and go downstairs. I walk behind Peeta, and slide my hands down his chest, kissing his cheek.

"How's it going?" I ask softly, right next to his ear.

"Good." he says, gesturing to his painting. I look at it, and I'm stunned.

He has painted the meadow in breathtaking detail. It's amazing, with tiny flowers, the leaves on the trees... Even the grass looks like it's actually moving, swaying in the wind.

"Peeta, this is amazing!" I say in disbelief.

"Really?"

"Yes! You know, we should bring some of your paintings to studios in the Capitol!"

"What?"

"I'm positive everyone will love them as much as I do!"

"Really?"

"Yes!" I exclaim, kissing him on the cheek again.

"Well." he says, setting down his paintbrush. "We just got home. We shoul spend some time here, then..."

"Then will you bring them to the Capitol?"

"If you really want to."

I smile. "This will be great! You're amazing at this, and people will finally be able to recognise that!"

"Or will they favor me because I'm a victor of the 74th and 75th Hunger Games?"

"No, don't think of it like that!"

"I'm sorry! But we will be treated unfairly, higher than everybody else, favored over all."

"Well... We could enter some paintings under a different name, then..."

"Then people won't know they were dont by me."

"But the we could tell them, and-"

"Just forget it, Katniss." He says, coldly, standing up.

"Peeta." I say, but he walks away, upstairs.

Tears sting my eyes, but I blink them away, wiping my eyes with the back of my hand. I trn off the light and close the door to the room. I turn off all the lights downstairs, and walk up to the bedroom. I lay down in bed on the other side of Peeta, wordlessly.

I pull the blankets up to my shoulders, back to him, and close my eyes.

"I'm sorry." he says, touching my shoulder. I flinch away. "Katniss..." tears start to well up in my eyes. I blink them away as fast as I can, but they keep coming.

He pulls me close to him, turning me around.

"Oh..." He says, sadly. "Please don't cry." He kisses my cheeks where the tears are.

"Why are we fighting?" I cry into his shirt. "We haven't been married for a week, and we're already fighting!"

"I know, I know..." he says. "It's all going to be okay."

I nod, and slowly calm down.

"It's going to be okay." I repeat. I kiss him again. He kisses me back, and his hand trails down my back. I break away.

"I love you." I say.

"I love you too." He kisses me again.

"Goodnight." I say. He sits back, and sighs.

"Why do you do that?" He asks, somewhat angry.

"Do what?" I ask.

"Pull away whenever we start kissing."

"I don't want-"

"I know, you don't want to get pregnant. I know that. And even though I don't admit it, it hurts. And I respect your wishes. But you always said it was because we weren't married. We're married! Now what?"

"I don't know." I say quietly, hoarsely. "I'm so sorry."

"You said you'd try." he says.

"I know." My vocice cracks. I try very, very hard not to cry, and it works. "I'm very sorry."

"Yeah." He says. "Me too."

He rolls over, and turns off the lamp.

"Goodnight." he says coldly.

"Goodnight." I say, rolling over, and pulling the blankets high again.

And suddenly, I'm very glad for the darkness, so he can't see my lip quivering.

**A/N: I am trying to write, I promise! NO TIME TO WRITE! **

**Poll:**

**Have you seen The Avengers? IF SO: Did you like it? WHO did you like? :D**


	28. Chapter 28

**A/N: Holy crap I'm the worst person ever! I have time to write today, and I WILL PUBLISH. **

Chapter 28

Katniss POV

When I wake up, Peeta isn't there. I rub my face, and find it irritated.

_From the salt._ I think. _I cry when I sleep. Interesting. _

"Well, we learn new things about ourselves every day." I say aloud, getting out of bed.

I walk to the bathroom, and wash my face. I towel it dry, and look in the mirror. My skin is lightly tanned, from all the sun in 4. My hair is a shade lighter, and a bit longer.

I brush my hair, and manage to pull it out of my face in a short ponytail. I fasten what won't stayin the ponytail to the top of my head with clips, and walk back into the bedroom. I open the window, to tell the temperature.

We may have left 4, but we brought the weather that should be there with us. It's at least 80 degrees, and it's only 9 in the morning. I put on a tight-fitting tanktop, and shorts.

_I think I'll go for a jog this morning._

I look through the closet, and find a pair of brand new running sneakers. I pull them on, and lace them up. I walk downstiars slowly, looking around.

_This is childish, Katniss._ I say, but run to the door and outside as fast as I can anyways. And after I get out the door, I slow the pace a little, but maintain a steady jog. I run through the middle of town.

Past the post office, wave at the old woman out front.

Past the store, make a mental note to talk to Sae about getting back to work.

Past a couple, holding hands, walking and smiling.

Past... _Wait, was that Gale_?

I stop, and look behind me. Sure enough, Gale and Madge Undersee are laughing, holding hands, and walking.

_Interesting_. I think, shaking my head an running again.

Past the bakery, _maybe Peeta is there. I'll swing by when I'm done running. _

Past my old house, where I see Buttercup and... Kittens?

I stop. "Everyone's having kids! Is this supposed to be some sort of message?" I ask loudly, to no one in particular. I look around, suddenly embarrassed. But there's just an old woman on her porch, rocking in her chair. Shes laughing to herself, shaking her head slowly.

I start running again, deciding I'm taking the long path to the meadow. I run until I hit the fence, wrapping my fingers tightly around the metal squares.

I duck under the fence, and start running again, into the woods, before I even realize what I'm doing.

I run down a path I know all too well, a path I could have run with my eyes closed. Finally, I reach the pond. It looks exactly like the last time I was here. Stunningly beautiful, like a painting.

_Like a painting. _

I walk to the water, and strip off my clothes, glad that I don't have to worry about anyone seeing me. I dive into the water, and it almost instantly cools me down.

I stay in the pond for a long time, floating on my back for a while, swimming on my back, diving underwater. When I'm done, I put my clothes back on, and sit on the bank of the pond.

_You need to talk to him._

"Man up, Everdeen." I say, standing.

I walk back through the woods, and under the fence. I walk across the meadow, past my house, and up the steps to the bakery.

I open the door, and I hear voices talking. I duck in a small inlet in the wall, listening.

"Back so soon?" I hear a woman ask. She sounds older, around my mothers age.

"Yeah, Katniss caught a stomach bug."

"Sure it was a stomach bug?" She asks, and I can almost picture the wink I'm sure she gave Peeta, the grin plastered across her face.

"Yes, I'm sure." he says. "I jumped to that conclusion first, too."

"When are the who of you going to start a family of your own?" she asks. "When you were younger, you'd always talk about the big family you wanted. 'I'll marry a really pretty girl, and have really pretty kids' you'd say!" she says with a loud laugh.

"Well, I married the really pretty girl, but I don't know about having pretty kids."

"Why not?"

"Well, Katniss doesn't want kids."

"But you do."

"It's not really my decision. If she doesn't want kids, then we won't have them. Simple as that." he says.

"I'm sorry." she says.

"I'm not. Just so long I'm with her." he says.

"Well, I'll let you get back to work." the woman says, and starts to walk in my direction. I hold a breath as she stops near me, hoping I wont be discovered.

"Thank you!" calls Peeta.

"Nice talking to you dear." she says, leaving.

"You too." says Peeta quietly.

I move slowly and silently. Stopping and standing in the doorframe. He doesn't notice me, and after a minute I knock on the wood. He looks up in surprise.

"Katniss!" he says, and I walk over to him. "How long have you been here?"

I wrap my arms around his neck.

"Long enough to know your perfect life story!" I smile.

"Oh, Katniss, I'm so sorry. About that-" but I cut him off with a kiss.

"I love you." I say, looking into his eyes.

"I love you too." he says.

"Let's never ever fight again ever." I say.

"It's kinda hard to-"

"Ever." I say. He takes a deep breath.

"Sounds good to me."

"Promise?" I ask him.

"I promise you we will never ever ever fight ever again ever." he says with a smile, leaning in.

"You forgot an 'ever'" I mumble, then kiss him again.

We stand in the middle of the bakery, kissing. But this time, I wait for Peeta to pull away, which he does, eventually.

"I think I'll close up early." He says.

"You could force your brother to come work!" I say with a smile.

"I actually got a letter here from him today. He had to move."

"Why?" I ask, surprised.

"His wife is pregnant. Again. They had to move to a bigger house, which, unfortunately is much farther away then anyone would have liked, but it was the best he could do." I nod.

"I could help out around here!" I say. "I mean, the job with Sae is kinda tanking. Plus, you wouldn't have to pay me."

"What do you know about baking?" He asks, laughing.

"Absolutley nothing. But I could sell stuff."

"Okay." he says, nodding. "But for now, I want to get home."

He closes the store, and we walk home. I go to the kitchen, and look around for something to make for lunch.

"What do you want to eat?" I ask him. He hugs me from behind.

"Why is your hair wet?" He asks.

"I went for a swim. What do you want for food?"

"Where did you swim?" He asks, sounding surprised.

"A pond in the forest."

"Did you go hunting today?"

"No, I went for a run. Guess who I saw walking hand in hand on the side of the road?"

"Who?"

"Gale and Madge!" I say, feeling like the gossiping girls from my class when I was younger.

"No way!"

"Yes. Now, food. What do you want?"

"I don't know." He says, smiling, and walking into the living room.

"Actually!" He says, turning on his heel. "I want to check up on our flowers. I'm going out to the greenhouse."

"That's not food!" I call after him. He walk outside anyway, and I look around. "Food, food, food..."

I look through the cupboards, and throw random ingredients out, onto the cupboards, looking for inspiration.

_Why is it so freaking hard to figure out what to make for lunch?_

I stand up, closing the refigerator, and throw the cheese in my hand. It lands on a box of pasta, and and idea pops into my head.

_Mac and Cheese!_

I look through an old recipe book, following the instructions step by step. When I pull the pan out of the oven, I set it on top of the stove to cool, and turn the oven off. I wash all the dishes, and dish out the gooey, cheesy pasta. It's still steaming, so I give it even more time to cool. I drain the sink, and walk out to Peeta. He's watering the flowers in the greenhouse.

There are little green buds in all the boxes, showing where the flowers are starting to grow. Peeta reminds me what we planted where, bringing me around the garden. Even the seeds we threw at random have turned into little green sprouts.

After looking around, and watering everything, we go back inside. I test the mac and cheese, and when I figure it won't burn our tastebuds off, I hand Peeta his plate. We eat in silence, and I finish before him. When he's done, he sets his fork on his plate.

"Well?" I ask, standing up. I pick up his dishes and mine, and bring them to the sink to wash them.

"Well..." He says, walking over to me. He turns me aorund, so I'm facing him. "It's not nearly as good as mine, but-" I cut him off, flicking soapy water at him, and turn back around.

"BUT..." He spins me back around.

_I'm starting to get dizzy!_

"But. It was still pretty good." He leans in and kisses me.

"Thanks." I say, kissing him again. And with that, he picks me up, and carries me upstairs.

**A/N: I did it! I'm gonna post today! :D Yay!**

**Poll:**

**Uh... I don't know. :P**


	29. Chapter 29

**A/N: Yay! I posted yesterday! Hopefully I can do the same today!**

Chapter 29

Katniss POV

"Have you thought any more about bringing your paintings to the Capitol?" I ask Peeta. We're sitting on the couch, watching the rain pour outside. So much for nice weather.

"Not really."

"Well. I think you should."

"We." He says.

"Huh?"

"We should. I wouldn't go without you."

"Well, I know that..."

He turns to look at me.

"Do you really think anyone would like it?"

"Yes!" I say, smiling.

"Then lets go."

"Really?" I ask, excited now.

"Yeah. I mean, if you feel that strongly about it, why not? But let's make a deal."

"Okay. What would this deal be?"

"If nobody likes my painitings, we're outta there. We come home, and don't try for it again, I'll just be a closet artist."

"And what if they DO like them, which they will?"

"Then, you're right, and we stay in the Capitol for a while, and see how it goes."

"Deal!" I say, shaking his hand. "When do we leave?"

"I don't know. How about tomorrow?"

"That soon?"

"Why not?"

I think about this for a second. "I don't know! Let's go!"

"Well, we need to bring some paintings. Either that, or I'll just paint them there."

"I definitely want you to bring the meadow painting you did the other day. Let's look through your old ones, too. You kept them, right?"

"Of course. I knew you'd kill me if I didn't. Plus, if I decide I don't like the painting, what's the point in wasting a canvas? I'll just paint over it."

"Don't! At least let me see them before you do that!"

"Alright, I will. Wanna go see?"

"Absolutely!"

We get up, and walk to the art room. There, leaning against a wall, are all of Peeta's old paintings. We walk over, and sit by them. One by one, we look at them. Each one is more beautiful than the one before it, I love every single painting.

Peeta, however, isn't sold on most of them. By the end of all the sotring, we have about seven or eight paintings he will bring. We wrap them in large plastic bags so the rain won't ruin them, and lay them on the table.

"Let's pack!" I say, and race him up the stairs. I pull out the suitcases from our honeymoon, and lay them open on the bed.

"This time-" I say, looking at Peeta, "I'm deciding what to pack!"

I open all of my drawers, and the closet doors. I rifle through, packing what I think I need. Two pairs of shorts, four t-shirts, one tanktop, and three pairs of jeans. And, for nightime, I pack pajama shorts, and sporty shorts, (in case I want to go running again, because I really enjoyed it,) a big t-shirt, and a sporty tanktop. I look around for pajama pants.

"You remember the pajama pants I wore on the train back form 4? Those were so comfy!"

"Yes... I remember." He says with a smile.

"Do you know where they are?" I ask.

He laughs, and throws a pair of pants at me. They're soft, and red.

"These are yours." I say.

"Why yes they are. You wore my pants, and apparently like them."

"Yes I did!" I say, stuffing them into my suitcase. "So I'm stealing them!"

We continue to pack, and I go into the bathroom to pack the toiletries bag. Toothbrush, toothpaste, comb, hair ties, shampoo. I throw that bag in my suticase, and Peeta runs downstairs for something.

_Bathing suit!_ I think. _Maybe where we stay has a pool or something. Why not pack it?_ So, I open the underwear drawer, and throw in my bathing suit, a couple pairs of socks, and, obviously, underwear. Then, I come across the leingere Effie sent to 4 with me. And for some reason, I stuff it in the bag, under a pair of jeans.

I zip the bag shut, and set it on the floor. I flop onto the bed, and on the nightstand, I notice the glass ball Peeta got in 4. I flip over onto my stomach, and pick it up. I roll it between my hands, watching the sand slide, the small creatures spin and dance. Peeta comes back into the room.

"I think you chose the perfect thing to buy." I say, setting the ball back on his nightstand. He lays down next to me.

"It's very pretty." I say.

"I can think of something prettier." He says, twirling a piece of my hair in his fingers.

"Oh? And what's that?" I ask with a wink. He wraps his arms around me, and I laugh as he pulls me on top of him. He kisses me gently, and I kiss him back.

"I love you." I say.

"I love you too, Katniss."

After he finishes packing, we go downstairs for dinner.

"I'm in a potatoes kind of mood." I say, sitting on the counter.

"And I'm in the mood for chicken."

"Lets make... Chicken and potatoes!"

"Genius!" He exclaims, and pulls open the refrigerator. He cooks the chicken, and I handle the potatoes.

"Mashed or baked?" I ask.

"Mashed." he says, and I nod. I bake them before I mash them, so the question was kind of pointless, but it broke the slience.

We set the table, and I dish out everything. I burn my finger slighlty on the chicken, but run it under some cold water, and the pain goes away.

"The chicken is delicious!" I say, my mouth full.

"I was about to say the same about the potatoes." he says. Be both have seconds, but are far too full to have thirds. I wash the dishes afterwards, and he dries them.

"Save any room for dessert?" He asks with a smile.

"No." I say. "But what do you have in mind?"

He goes to the fridge and pulls out a bowl of cake mush.

"Yum!" I say, grabbing two spoons. I don't know how, but I manage to eat half the bowl, and he eats the other half.

"I guess I had room for more than I thought!" I say.

After that, we go upstairs.

"I'm going to take a shower." I say.

"Okay. I'm gonna hit the hay, it sounds like we've got a busy day tomorrow."

I go into the bathroom, and run the shower. I shower quickly, for some reason wanting just to get it over with. I step out, and don't even bother drying off, I just pull on pajamas. I reconsider this, and shake a towel through my hair, then go to bed. Peeta's already asleep.

I crawl under the covers, and scoot close to him.

"Goodnight, my artist." I whisper.

I kiss his cheek, then lay back on the pillow and fall asleep.

**A/N: SUCCESS! :D**


	30. Chapter 30

**A/N: Even if it's not until midnight, I WILL UPDATE! :D And may I say, holy CRAP! 30 Chapters!**

Chapter 30

I'm woken up by Peeta bringing me breakfast in bed.

"Hey, this is supposed to be your big day." I say, rubbing my eyes, sitting up, and smiling.

"I felt like making you breakfast." He says, sitting next to me. He pick a piece of tast off my plate, and takes a bite.

"Do you remember the last time you made me breakfast in bed?" I ask him.

"Yes." He says, and swallows what's in his mouth. "It was back when you wanted nothing to do with me."

"I'm glad I changed my mind." I say.

"Me too." He says, taking another bite.

We finish breakfast, and wash up. I get dressed, he's already dressed, and I sit on the bed.

"Second thoughts about leaving?" He asks.

"No, not really. I think it's really good that we're getting out, and seeing things before we..."

"We?"

"I don't know. Start a family? Grow old?"

"Start a family?"

"I don't know. I'm just saying, I think it's great that we're traveling!"

"Well, if you want to travel, we need to leave soon!"

I hop off the bed, and grab my suitcase. I got downstiars, pull on my jacket and boots, and we walk to the train station. We climb aboard the train, and, again, the room looks exactly the same.

_They probably make all the cars look the same._ I think, and throw my suitcase on the couch.

"The Capitol is a lot farther away then 4, we'll be on here a while." Peeta says.

"Your point being?"

He walks over to the mini bar.

"Oh no, no alcohol for me!" I exclaim. "We all know how well this works out."

"No..." He says, looking through the bottles. "They have more than just alcohol in here. For example," He syay, standing up, holding a bottle with what looks like violet tinted water, "Grape sparkling water." He looks at me, with a grin.

Then, his expression darkens. He freezes, and drops the bottle in his hand, and it shatters.

"Oh no. No no no no no no." I say, walking over to him.

"Peeta, it's okay."

He clenches his fists, breathing reggedly.

"Hey, hey." I say, stroking his face. "It's just me, Katniss, your wife. It's alright."

His eyes soften, but his jaw is still locked shut, his f'sts still blaaed at his sides. After a minute, he lets out a sigh, and looks at me, then at the floor.

"Damn, did I do that?" He asks.

I walk to the kitchen to get rags to clean the sticky, foamy liquid up.

"Yeah."

"I'm sorry, Katniss. That's the first blackout I've had in a while."

"So, they're getting better!"

"I suppose..."

"And It's alright." I say, looking through the cabinet. I pull out a pink bottle. "I like the strawberry better anyway."

We drink sparkling strawberry water out of champagne flutes, and order lunch. We get sandwiches delivered, finding the kitchen empty. They're almost impossible to bite into, and dry as all get out. We give up, and order soup instead. The soup is much better. I get chicken, and Peeta orders some sort of vegetable mix.

After lunch, we look around fo something to do to entertain ourselves. We find a pack of cards, but that doesn't hold our attention for long. We find a checkers board, but again, it doesn't take too long for us to get bored again.

"Well, what do we do now?" I ask.

"I don't know."

"You could paint." I suggest.

"Well, what will you do?"

"I... Saw some spa stuff in the bathroom, I could get myself all scrubbed down for the Capitol."

"Okey-dokey." He says, and I head to the bathroom. I tear open the crinkly plastic that's encasing the fancy basket sitting on the counter. I look through the basket, and find face masks, body scrubs, bath scents, and lots more. I run the bath, and pour some of the colored salts in. The water forms a thick, light green foam, and the room fills with the smell of mint. I pull my hair back into a very smal, and tight bun, and pull a thick, fuzzy headband on, so there;s no hair in my face. I rub the mask on. It's cold, but refreshing.

I form a makeshift pillow out of a towel, and lay back in the bathtub, closing my eyes. I just lay there, soaking in the warm, mineral-enriched water. After a while, I get the body wash, and scrub down my body. It has something in it that I can feel really cleaning me, scraping layers of grime off, leaving my skin tingly and bright red when I'm done.

I slowly wash the mask off my face, now that it's dry. I pull off the hairband, and untie my hair. I slip underwater, and eyes closed, lie there for as long as I can hold my breath. When I come back up, I breathe slowly until I'm back to normal again. Then, I wash my hair, and condition it, and go back underwater.

After another long period of soaking, I drain the tub, and towel myself off. I slip into Peeta's pajama pants, and a tanktop. I dry my hair, and brush it out. Then, I walk out of the bathroom. I find Peeta in the living room, on the couch.

"Where's the painting?" I ask, sitting next to him.

"I finished it a while ago. Enjoy your bath-spa getaway? You were in there for a long time."

"Yeah I did." I say. "But I'm cold now."

He pulls a blanket off the back of the couch, and lays it across the two of us. He wraps his arms around me, bringing me close. I lean into him.

"That's better." I yawn. "Thanks." I feel my eyelids getting heavy. "Why am I so tired?"

"I don't know. Maybe the bath relaxed you more than you think."

I fight to stay awake, listenign to everything, trying to talk, keep a conversation. I feel Peeta pick me up, and carry me to the bedroom. I lock my arms around his neck.

"No." I mumble. "Don't leave."

"Okay." He says, laying next to me. He kisses me on the cheek. "Sweet dreams."

I try to say something, but can't. I fall asleep.

When I wake back up, it's dark outside, and Peeta's sleeping next to me. I close my eyes, and try to fall back asleep, but I can't. I carefully untangle myself from Peeta, and pull on a sweatshirt, bcause it's colder now. I walk to the living room, and my stomach starts growling. I turn to the kitchen, and remember it's empty. I sigh, and look at the door.

_There are food cars, maybe they're all night. _

I decide I'm going to try to find the food car. I walk out, and find myself in a long hallway.

_This looks more like a hotel than a train. _I think, walking forward. At the end of the hallway is a room filled with tables.

_The food car must be next!_

All the lights are off, and everything has a blue light cast over it from the moon outside. It's super creepy.

I walk as fast as I can, and I throw open the door, and my heart sinks, as I see thelights off in the food stand.

"No!" I say out loud. "But I'm hungry!"

Suddenly, I hear a noise behind me. My blood turns to ice, and I see a dark figure standing in the doorway. I freeze, backed up against the wall.

"Don't worry, I'm not going to hurt you." I hear a voice say. It's a male voice, deep and smooth. "I heard you freak out."

"I didn't freak out." I say, straightening. "I'm just hungry."

"Well, I have some food if you want it." He says.

I want, with every fiber of my being, to say no, and run back to the car, crawl into bed, and wait for morning. But my stomach growls, loudly.

"Thanks." I say, walking slowly forward. He turns around, and walks to a door. He opens it, steps inside, and motions for me to do the same.

He lives in what looks like a small room, like a one-room apartment. Peeta and I have a whole car to ourselves, and I feel cramped in this small room.

"How about a sandwich?" he asks.

"Sure." I say, standing by the door. I have a weird feeling in the pit of my stomach.

He pulls out a bag of bread from a cupboard, and opens a small refirgerator, and pulls out some meat, and vegetables.

"Like turkey?" He asks. I nod, feeling ready to run out of here at any moment. He piles other things on the snadwich, and ctus it in half. He hands it to me.

"Thanks." I say, turning to leave.

"You're welcome, Mrs. Everdeen." He says, and I walk out.

As soon as I'm in the food cart, I run as fast as I can back to my own car. I close and lock the door behind me, and sit at the kitchen table. I eat the sandwich, and drink three glasses of tap water to go with it. I feel exhausted again, and I lay back down. I crawl back up next to Peeta, wrapping my arms around him. I close my eyes, and fall back asleep.

**A/N: As I said to my friend, Julia, (love that girl,) The Inspiration Cookie was not visiting me today. So, she helped me, and I managed to work out... THIS. And, it's 10:30 at night, BUT ITS AN UPDATE! **


	31. Chapter 31

**A/N: I would like to start with an apology. I'm so so so sorry I havent updated, I've been SO busy! BUT, I'm back into the swing of things now. Thanks all for reading. :)**

**I got some questions from ****bubblesxp****, so I shall answer those. :) **

WHO WAS THAT GUY? **A stranger. I think you'll learn more about him this chapter, see more of him. **

HOW DID HE KNOW WHO SHE WAS? **She's Katniss Everdeen, she won The Hunger Games, everybody knows who she is. **

WHY DID SHE TAKE FOOD FROM HIM! **She was hungry, and tired. So was I. **

Chapter 31

Katniss POV

When we get off the train in the Capitol, welook around, lost. We have been here before, but we were always escorted where we needed to go. We wander for a while, trying to find our way to our hotel. Finally, we find it, and check in. We climb into an elevator, and shoot straight up. We're going higher than the floor we stayed on before the Games. We reach the 34th floor quickly, and my ears hurt when I step off.

We walk down a long hallway, and with the plastic card they gave us at the front desk, we unlock the door and step inside our room.

It's amazing in there. A whole wall is made up of just windows. There's a kitchen, and all of the living room furniture, and rugs, are a clean white. I walk forward carefully, worried I'll get something dirty. I walk into the bedroom. The whole 'everything's bright white' theme continued into this room. In fact, the only color in the entire room is a strip of soft green, a single, 6-inch wide stripe wrapping around the entire room, high up on the wall.

"We picked the right hotel." I say, and Peeta laughs.

On the glass coffee table in the living room, there are brochures, and maps of the large town. We look through the brochures. Some of htem are for resteraunts, events at different theaters, and some are of art galleries. We pick those out, and mark on the map where they are.

"Well, before showing them anything, we should check them out first." He says. So, we set out, walking around to find the perfect art gallery.

It doesn't take long.

The first place we stop, Peeta is taken aback, looking with wonder at every single painting and photograph hanging on the walls. He goes to the front desk, and talks to the man sitting there. He introduces himself, and the man smiles. Peeta asks him about the gallery, and the process of submitting a piece. The man's eyes widen.

"Why, do you have something you'd be interested in giving us?"

"Well, if that'd be okay, if you wanted to look at a few of them, I can go-"

The man interrupts him, pushing us to the door.

"Go! Bring them, I'd love to see them!" Peeta and I exchange a glance, smiling. We go back to the hotel, and Peeta looks through his paintings.

"Which one should I bring?" He asks. "I can't decide!"

"Well, bring a few. He can choose which one he likes, and we can bring the rest to other places."

"Good idea." He says, and picks a couple. We ride the elevator back down.

_My ears really don't like me today. Neither will my feet, if we keep up at this pace!_

When we get back to the gallery, the man is waiting by the door, smiling. He usheres Peeta and I into his office, and sits on a large couch.

"Let's see your paintings!" He says, sitting at his desk. Peeta stands back up, and one by one, unwraps his paintings. After he's shown the last one, the owner speaks.

"I love every single one of them. If you leave them with me, I'll keep two, and give the rest to people I know who own their own art galleries. There's this huge art show at the Bolt in a week. Would you be interested in putting a painting in that?"

I could see Peeta, processing all of this.

"Y... Yes! Absolutely!"

"Alright. I'll pay you 600 apiece for each one I keep, and I'll give you the money from my other friends, who most likely will pay more."

"More?" Peeta's eyes are bugging out. We've never had that much money!

"That's incredible!" I exclaim.

"Well, I'll get back to the two of you with all of the information about the show." He says, walking us to the door.

"Thank you very much!" Says Peeta, shaking the man's hand. We walk out of the gallery, smiling hugely. We remain as calm as we can until we get to the room. He smiles, picks me up, and spins me around. I laugh, and hold on to him tightly, worried he'll drop me. Finally, he sets me down,a nd I stagger for a moment, dizzy.

"I'm so happy for you!" I exclaim. You deserve this." He smiles, and pulls me in for a kiss.

"I love you." He says.

"I love you, too."

We go out to dinner and are seated towards the back, the private section. We order diner, and wait. The room is beautiful, lights and vines strewn across the walls, and candles on every table.

"Something wrong?" He asks me, and I look up forn the candle I hadn;t realized I had been staring at.

"You were eyeing that candle pretty intently." He says with a smile.

"Yes, I'm perfect." I smile back.

Dinner comes a minute later. I ordered the lamb and rice stew, and Peeta got a steak. We eat in silence, both throroughly enjoying our meal.

"Did you guys save any room for dessert?" The waitress asks, walking over to us. Her hair has been dyed a completely fake blonde, her lips are practically dripping with sticky red gloss, and her shirt if showing off way too much clevage, which she obviously knows of, as she appears to be showing it all off to Peeta.

"Uh..." Peeta says, looking at me. "No, thanks, we're both pretty full."

"Okay, I'll get the check!" She turns, walking away.

"No dessert?" I ask him.

"Nah, we can order room service when we get home."

The waitress comes back with our check.

_And a nice new coat of makeup._ I note. Peeta pays, and we get our jackets and leave.

"She seemed to be coming on pretty strong." I say, walking beside Peeta on our way back to the hotel.

"What do you mean?" He asks.

"You can almost say that with a straight face!" I joke, looking at him.

"I honestly didn't notice." He says, putting his hands up defensively.

"Okay..." I say, and we keep walking. When we get up to the room, I go straight to our room and change. When I walk out to the living room, Peeta's standing there, with a champagne bottle, and two glasses.

"What's this?" I ask, walking over to him, taking one of the glasses.

"Champagne. Purely for celebrational purposes, of course." He smiles, and clinks his glass against mine, taking a sip. I slowly take a sip of mine aswell. I hug hum, and he wraps his arms around me, kissing the top of my head.

"Thanks for making me come here." He says.

"You didn't need much convincing." I smile, looking up at him.

We sit on the couch, drinking. "I knew they'd love your paintings." I say.

"Really?"

"Of course! By the sounds of it, you're going to have to start painting again, more paintings for the increase in costumers."

"Look at you, talking all buisness. But, I can't just paint to paint, I have to have some inspiration. I want to do soemthing really special for the art show."

"Well..." I say, looking around. "Inspiration..." Peeta refills our glasses, and I walk around the hotel room. "Well, you could paint the skyline. The sunset?"

"Maybe, but it's too late for that now..."

"Well, tomorrow." I smile, taking another drink. "You could... Paint... Oh, I don't know." I sit back on the couch, finishing my glass, and pour myself another. "Paint... Memories."

"Memories?"

I take a sip. "Yeah. You know, the games, the arena, the old bakery..."

"Yeah, maybe.." He says, with a smile on his face. He puts and arm around me, and kisses my cheek. "Thanks for being so supportive."

I smile. "You're welcome." He leans in, and kisses me. I kiss him back, setting my champagne on the table. I put a hand on the side of his face, kissing him softly.

He breaks away after a long moment, laughing lightly.

"Maybe I should get you drnuk more often." He says with a smile.

"And maybe..." I say, leaning in close to him. "I should..." I put my lips so close to his they're almost touching. "Leave you hanging for a while longer."

And with that, I swiftly climb off of him, and walk to the bedroom. I'm just to the door when runs after me, picking me up, and tossing me on the bed. I laugh, sitting back up, but I don't see him anywhere.

"Peeta?" I ask, still smiling. "Peeta, are you there?" My smile dissappears quickly. "Peeta, where are you?" I sit up higher, getting on my knees, looking over the edge of the bed. I turn, looking on one side, then crawl over ot the other. Just as I reach the end, Peeta pops up, tackling me onto the bed.

"You just about gave me a heat attack!" I exclaim. He smiles, and leans in to kiss me, pressing his entire body down against me. I kiss him back, running my hands through his hair. Our feet tangle together as he wraps his arms tightly around me.

I'm starting to feel lightheaded, and all the kisses Peeta is planting up and down my neck aren't helping. Finally, he finds his way to my mouth again, and rolls so I'm laying on top of him. He breaks away, and looks at me intently, bright blue eyes wide.

"Should we stop?" he asks.

"No, that's okay."

"Are you sure?"

"I... We're married now. We just... We have to be careful."

He nods, and smiles. He rolls over again, kissing me.

When I wake up in the morning, my head is pounding.

_I didn't have THAT much to drink!_

I get out of bed, and walk to the bathroom. I open my travel bag, and pull out the headache medecine. I put two of the small, white pills in my mouth, and wash them down with a large glass of water. I pull my hair out of my face with a hand, and lay back down in bed.

"Everything alright?" asks Peeta, waking up.

"Yeah." I say, kissing his forehead. "Wverything's fine, go back to sleep."

"Okay." He says, closing his eyes, and wrapping his arms around me. He pulls me close, and falls back asleep, and so do I. When I wake back up, my headache is gone, and so is Peeta.

I get out of bed, and walk to the kitchen. There's a plate full of muffins sitting on the kitchen counter, and Peeta's off to the side of the living room, painting.

"Hey." I say, walking over to him. I hug him from behind, placing my hands on his chest.

"Good morning." He says with a smile, and kisses my cheek.

"What'cha painting?" I ask.

"The city. Like you suggested. And I think I'll paint from memory for the next one. Something like the training center, the arena... I don't know."

"That's awesome!" I say, hugging him.

"But... For now..." He says, turning around. "I'm going to have breakfast with my beautiful wife." He pulls me onto his lap, and into a kiss. We kiss for a while, but mus tomach growls loudly, and we break apart, laughing.

"Looks like we need to get some food into you!" He says, and we walk to the kitchen. I pick a warm blueberry muffin off of the plate, and cut it in half, spreading it with butter, then start to eat it.

"Mmm, Peeta! These are delicious!" I say, mouth full. After I finish the firt one, I eat another, and another. When I'm full, I sit back, and pat my stomach, which bring a smile to his face.

"Those... Were... Wow. I knew there was a reason I married you." I say with a wink, and he sitcks his tongue out at me.

I go to the bedroom, and get dressed. Jeans, and a shirt.

"So," I call from the bedroom, pulling my jeans on, "What's on deck for today?"

"I don't know. We could... Tour more art galleries?" He walks over, stopping in the doorway, "That is, if you're not completely bored by them."

"Art galleries are the entire reason we came here, Peeta! Get dressed, and we'll go wherever you want."

He smiles, and kisses me on the cheek, spinning me around. "Thank you Katniss."

"I love you, Peeta."

"I love you too."

**A/N: Holy Butt. I UPDATEDDDDD! XD **


	32. Chapter 32

**A/N: I'm sorry about no update yesterday, I had to babysit until 9 at night, then I couldn't write, because I was fried... **

Chapter 32

I get dressed in denim shorts and a loose-fitting white shirt that falls off one shoulder. We walk through town, turning, looking at the map, trying to find the right gallery. When we finall make our way to it, Peeta's thrilled. The expression on his face when he walked in was even better than when we stopped in the first one. I swear, he would have squealed, and jumped up and down if other people hadn't been around.

_Manly._ I think to myself with a smile, and follow him, as he takes my hand, and we tour the gallery.

When we're done, Peeta, as before, goes to talk with the owner. We have a simmilar meeting, excapt the owner already has a painting of his.

"I'll give you 900 for it." Says the man, smiling. My jaw drops open, and I can tell Peeta's almost did too.

"900?" he asks, struggling to contain his shock.

"It's worth not a cent less."

The man gives Peeta the money, and we leave, in shock.

"We though 600 was amazing!" I exclaim.

"600 IS amazing!" he says. "900 is..."

I hug him, laughing. "But it's not about the money, at all. It's about people getting to see how talented you are!"

We walk around for a while, stop in a few more art galleries, each owner offering Peeta an outrageous amount of money for his paintings. Most people don't pay us there, which is good, because nobody should walk around carrying that much money. Instead, people tell us they'll mail us a check. Peeta actually tells some galleries he will bring them more paintings, and we schedule appointments for later on in the week.

"Have you decided which painting you're gonna enter in the big art show?" I ask Peeta. We're in the park, eating ice cream.

"No." He says, taking a bite out of his cone. "I think I'll paint one special for it."

"When? If we keep up at this pace every day, you will have no free time!"

"I think I'll stay home tomorrow, and maybe even the day after to paint. But, that presents another problem."

"What's that?"

"What we're going to do with you."

"I'll.. Go for a jog."

"All day?"

"I could..." I sigh. "Shop?"

"Okay. I'll give you some of our money, and-"

"Our money? No no no no, it's your money. I brought money, I'll use mine.I need to buy a new dress for the big show, anyways. That is, if you want me to go."

"Of couse I want you to go!" He says. "Why wouldn't I?"

"I was joking." I say, smiling at him.

We finish our ice cream and go back to the hotel. Almost imideately, Peeta starts painting. I sit around, trying to fiure out something to do.

_Nap? _No.

_Read?_ Nope.

_Walk? _I've walked enough today, thank you very much.

I flop down onto the bed, trying to think of something to do.

_I can't ask Peeta what I should do. Then he'll know I'm bored, and he'll feel bad. Tough it out, Katniss. You should do something nice for him, he's under quite a bit of pressure. I could.. Bake something for him! Something easy. Maybe they have instant cupcake mix?  
_

I walk into the kitchen quietly, and look through the cupboards. There it is, a box of chocolate cupcake mix. I gather all the ingerdiets together, and, as quietly as possible, make 24 cupcakes. When they're done baking, I set them all on a rack to cool. While they're cooling, I prepare the fristing. I make six bags of white fristing and color each. Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple. I also find a small container of sprinkles in the cabinet.

_Is there anything this kitchen DOESN'T have?_

When the cupcakes are cooled down, I pipe the frosting onto them in large swirls, then add sprinkles to each. I arrange them prettily on a plate, then clean the kitchen. When I'm done, two hours have passed. I sigh contentedly, and sit down on the couch. I roll over on my stomach, propping my head up on my elbows, and I watch Peeta paint.

His bright blue eyes stare intently at his canvas, focusing on every small detail. He guides the brush with long, fluid strokes, knowing exactly what he wants it to do. I watch him for a while, and blush slightly when he looks up, and sees me. He smiles, and puts down his brush. He walks over to me, and picks me up, and kisses me.

"Sorry I took so long. You must have been bored to death."

"No. Actually.." I say, wiggling out of his arms, climbing to the floor, "I baked."

"Seriously? I didn't hear a thing."

"Seriously!" I walk into the kitchen, and come back out with the tray of cupcakes. "I don't know how edible they are, but..." Peeta picks a cupcake off of the tray, and takes a bite.

"Mmm, so good!' He says, stuffing the rest in his mouth. I laugh, and he does too, but clamps a hand around his mouth, trying not to spit food everywhere.

I fall asleep quickly that night, exhausted for some reason. The next day, I sleep in way later than Peeta. When I walk into the living room, he's already completely immersed in his painting. I walk back into the bedroom, and get dressed in an outfit similar to the one I wore yesterday. I grab my money, shoving it into my back pocket, and I walk back out to the living room I walk up, and kiss Peeta on the cheek.

"I'm gonna go shopping."

"Oh." He says, turning around. "When will you be back?"

"I don't know." I say. "I'll probably be a while. After all, I need the perfect dress for your special night." I smile, and he pulls me in for a kiss.

"Oh!" he says, "That reminds me, tonight I have a party thing."

"Party thing? When'd you find out about this?"

"They called this morning. It's like a promotional sort of deal. I don't know exactly the details. I just know that it's tonight, and I want you to be there with me."

"Of course I'll be there! If you dont mind me re-wearing the same dress..."

"I'm sure you'll look stunning every time you wear it." He says, and pulls me in for another kiss.

"Okay." I say, breaking away, and placing a hand on his chest. "I really have to get shopping. And you really need to get painting."

"Fine." He says, turning back around. "Do you have enough money?"

"Yeah," I say, walking to the door. "I'm all set. I'll see you later."

"Okay, I love you." he says.

"I love you, too." I say, and walk out. I walk downtown. I look in the windows of shops and botiques, not finding much of anything. After wandering around for about an hour, I make my way inside a large dress shop. I look around, rifling through all of the racks. Finally, I find a dress. I walk to the dressing room and slip it on. It's beautiful. It's a strapless, red dress, that fades to a warm golden color at the bottom. It's beautifully creased and pleated, sparkly and flowing. I instantly fall in love with it.

I take off the dress, and bring it to the cashier, picking up a pair of red heels on the way there. She rings them up, tells me the price, and when I ahdn her the money, she looks at me.

"Oh my gosh! You're-"

"Yes, I'm Katniss Everd- Mellark. Katniss Mellark." _That's gonna take some getting used t. But I like it._

"Wow. I can't believe..." The woman shakes her head, and hands me my change. "Please, come back any time!"

"I will!" I smile, and leave. I carry my bag around, and my stomach growls. I find a nice outside resteraunt, and sit down, setting my dress in the smpty chair next to me. After I eat, I wander around for a while longer before going back to the hotel. Peeta doesn't seem to notice me when I come in, so I walk to the bedroom, and hang my dress in the closet. I sit on the couch, and turn on the television.

"Oh! Hey there! I didn't see you come in! How long have you been here?"

"Less than a minute." I say, flipping through the channels.

"Did you find a dress?"

"Yeah, it's perfect!"

"Can I see?"

"Nope! It's gonna be a surprise."

My annention is turned to the television when I hear a familiar voice ring out.

"Tonight, as we all know, is the artist's benefit gala. And, rumor has it a certain victor and his wife will be attending."

"Benefit gala!" Peeta says, walking over to me. "That's what it is."

"Oh, thanks." I say sarcastically.

"Hey, don't be like that." He says, sitting down. "Why are you so grumpy?"

"I don't know." I say. "I just am."

"Well, don't be." He says, kissing my nose.

"Okay." I say, curling up against him. I don't know when, but at some point in time, I fall asleep. When I wake back up, it's almost time for the gala.

"Why didn't you wake me up?" I ask, getting up quickly.

"You were peacseful, and I figured you needed the sleep."

"I need to get ready!" I exclaim, running to the bedroom, slamming the door behind me. I pull on my dress quickly, and for some reason, feel a sense of happiness overcome me when I see myself in the mirror. I brush my hair, pulling it into a bun, and lighlty apply some makeup. Finally, I slip on the shoes, and I'm ready.

"All ready?" I call to him through the door.

"No, my tux is in there!" He says. I walk over to the closet, and hand it to hom through the slightly open door.

"I can't see you?" He asks.

"No!" I say. "Not until you're dressed."

"I have to change out here?" He asks, but changes anyway. After a minute, he calls my name. "Okay, I'm changed. I just can't figure out my tie..."

I open the bedrom door, and walk out to help him. When he sees me, his eyes widen, and a smile spreads across his face.

"You look... Amazing." He says, and kisses me. I break away, and tie his tie for him.

"Now, let's get you to the gala. Don't want you to be late."

We walk downstairs, and ride in a car to the gala. Peeta and I walk down a long carpet to the large, stone entrance. There are hundreds of people taking pictures, and I try to smile for them. Whenw e get inside, tons of people are coming up to Peeta, shaking his hand, talking about art. I stand off at a distance, watching him socialize, with the largest, genuine smile plastered across his face. He looks around suddenly, and I'm worried he's having a flashback. He sees me, and walks over to me.

"What are you doing over here?" He asks, pulling me into a hug.

"You were socializing. Plus, I like it over here. Close to the food."

"Well, I don't want you to be upset."

"I'm not! I'm actually having a really good time."

"Okay..." He says, and another man comes up to him. He looks at me apologetically, but I smile back, and wander around. We're in a large building, and each room seems to be connected a three others, and each one is filled with people. I'm walk back to the large room, looking for Peeta. He isn't there.

_Maybe he came after me._

I leave the room, wandering again. I wander until I run into a person. A man. With a familiar face.

"Hello, Mrs. Mellark." He says, bowing.

"Are you..."

"The sandwich man!" he says with a smile. He is the man who made ma a sandwich on the train.

"What are you doing here?"

"I'm a large donator to the foundation." He says.

"Oh! Wow. Well, I'm sorry, but I have to go."

"Looking for your husband?" He asks.

"Yeah, I am, actually. Have you seen him?"

"You might want to look in there." He says, pointing to the door behind him.

"Thank you!" I say, walking to the doorway of the other room. I am struck with a sight with makes my heart stop, and shatter into a million pieces.

Peeta is kissing another woman.

**A/N: I don't know why I'm not updating! It's very mean! BUT I have to tell you, I'm going to be gone for a week, from this Tuesday to next Tuesday. I'll be going to Ames, Iowa for a competition. A 24-hour drive! So, I'll have time to write, but no wi-fi. :(**


	33. Chapter 33

**A/N: You guys are so lucky the hotel has wifi. JUST saying. **

Chapter 33

Katniss POV

I let out a shocked cry when I saw them. People turned and looked at me, and so did Peeta. His eyes grew, and he looked form the woman to me.

"Katniss, I-"

But I run out of the room, out of the buliding, and into the street. I run to the hotel as fast as I can, and slam the door behind me. I run to the bedroom, and flop down onto the bed, sobbing. When I calm down ever so slightly, I walk around, wanting something to take my anger out on. I see the cupcakes sitting on the table, and one by one, I chuck them around the room, screaming.

When they're all gone, I sink to the floor, my head on my knees, pulling my legs to my chest, and I start crying again. After I cry and cry until I can't cry any more, I run out of tears, and walk myself to the bedroom. I pull the dress off, and change into pajamas, still sniffling. I crawl under the covers, and, clutching a pillow, continue to sob. Eventually, I cry myself to sleep.

Peeta's POV

The night was going great! I had lots of people come up to me, compliment me on my work, and ask me to bring them a piece or so. Bu then, I notice Katniss, standing in the corner.

"What are you doing over here?" I ask, and give her a hug.

"You were socializing. Plus, I like it over here. Close to the food." She says, turning to the large table decorated with delacices only found here.

"Well, I don't want you to be upset." I say, sensing the sadness in her voice

"I'm not! I'm actually having a really good time." She lies. I don't want to antagonize her.

"Okay..." I say, and a man comes up to me, tapping me on the shoulder. He sparks up a conversation about different painting techniques, I look at Katniss, and mouth the word, "sorry". She shakes her head with a smile, and leaves to wander around. When the man finishes talking to me, I go around, looking for her. The entire building is made up of a maze of rooms.

_I'll never find her..._

Just then I feel someone tap on my shoulder. I turn around to see a very drunk woman, struggling to stand up.

"Hey there... Peter." She slurs.

"It-it's Peeta..." I say, taking a step back.

"You..." She says, stepping forward. "Are a good painter." She walks her fingers up my chest. "I always thought you were super hot."

"What?" I ask, stepping back again, almost sending her crashing to the ground. "I don't even know you!"

"But I know you. You're from the games. And I think that.. Bitch is all wrong for you."

"Hey! She is my wife! Who are you-" But the woman cuts me off, flinging herself at me, kissing me. I try to push her off, but she's latched onto me. Suddenly, I hear a loud cry. I turn, and see Katniss, staring at us.

"Katniss! I-" But she leaves before I can finish. I try to chase after her, but the woman pulls at me. I push her away, and try to set out after Katniss. I run outside, but I can't see her anywhere.

"God!" I say, pressing my face into my hands. After a minute, someone comes out, and pats my shoulder.

"I'm sorry, son. You should let her have some time to cool down."

"I need to go after her! I feel horrible!"

"She needs time. Explain everything to her later, explain the truth. Until then, come back in."

"But.." The man guides me back into the building, and I look over my shoulder the entire way.

Finally, close to three hours later, I am able to leave. I take a car back to the hotel, and run up to the room. I quietly open and close the door, and look around. The walls are covered in multicolored stuff. At first, I think she took my pain and splattered it everywhere, but the I walk up to one of the stains, and see that they're the cupcakes. In fact, it seems the only stain-free thing in the entire apartment is my easel and supplies.

I walk quietly to the bedroom, and see her on the bed, sniffling.

"Katniss.." I say quietly, walking over to her. I see her face is tear-stained and blotchy, and she's asleep. I change into pajamas, and hang up her dress. I gently kiss her cheek, and go to sleep on the couch, figuring she wouldn't want me on the bed.

Katniss POV

When I wake up in the morning, my heart hurts worse then it ever has before. I almost start crying again, noticing Peeta isn't here. I lie in bed for a long time, sleepy, but not falling asleep. Finally, I give up, and get out of bed. I walk straight into the kitchen, and look through the cupboards for something to eat. There's nothing, and I slam the cupboard shut, and I hear something shift in the living room.I turn, and see Peeta sitting up on the couch. He turns, and looks at me.

"Katniss..."

I turn, and walk straight into the bedroom, slamming the door behind me. I head him get up, and knock on the door.

"Katniss? Please, let me explain..."

"Please do! I'd love to hear your reasoning behind kissing another woman!"

"Could you let me in?" He asks. "Please?"

After a pause, I open the door, and step back, folding my arms across my chest.

"I am so, so sorry." He starts. I roll my eyes, turn around, and walk over to sit on the bed. He stands there, looking at me.

"It wasn't what it looked like, I swear."

"Oh really? Because it looked like you were kissing someone. Someone who wasn't me. Are you trying to tell me you weren't kissing anyone?"

"No." He says, and looks at the ground.

"Then it's exactly what it looks like."

I get up, angry, and walk to the living room. Just as I get past Peeta, he grabs my arm.

"Katniss, wait! That woman kissed me."

"Oh, sure." I say, rolling my eyes, and I yank my arm free. I walk, and sit on the couch. He comes after me, and sits in front of me. He takes my hands in his, and locks eyes with me.

"Katniss. I love you. And I would never, NEVER do anything to hurt you. I haven't even considered LOOKING at another woman since after the games."

"Well, you were doing a little more than looking from what I saw!"

"That was HER! SHE threw herself at ME. I would never, ever do something like that."

"But you did."

"Why don't you understand?" He drops my hands, and looks at the floor. I look at him for a minute.

"It was all her?" I ask quietly.

"Yes." He says, still looking down.

"I believe you." I say.

"You do?" He asks, looking up.

"Yes." I lean down, and hug him. He stands up, hugging me tightly, one hand wrapped around my back, the other on the back of my head. "I believe you."

And for some reason, I start to cry. I tuck my head into his neck, and cry. After a minute I pull away, and wipe my eyes.

"Now I must look like an idiot." I sniffle.

"No. You don't." He kisses my forehead, and strokes my hair.

"I'm so sorry for not believing you." I say.

"I'm sorry for putting you in a position where you'd think I'd cheat on you."

"That wasn't your fault." I say, defending him now. I pull myself close to him again, and close my eyes.

I must have fallen asleep then, because the next time I open my eyes, and I'm back in bed. For a second, I think the whole bit this morning was just a dream, but then Peeta comes in, smiling.

"When did I fall asleep?"

"I'm not sure... You sorta passed out."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Well, you went through a lot yesterday. You're probably really tired."

"Yeah." I say, snuggling back into the blankets. And, maybe I'm still tired, because I fall back asleep. I pass in and out of haze for a while. When I really open my eyes, fully, for more then a few seconds, it's dark out.

I walk out to the kitchen, and find a plate of brightly iced, freshly-baked cupcakes. I smile, and walk over to them, and I see a note beside the tray.

Katniss,

You were asleep, and I felt horrible about leaving, but I would also feel horrible waking you up. I had to run a new piece to a gallery, and I have a quick meeting about what I'm going to enter in the big art show. The board has voted to make my piece the centerpiece! Anyway, I'll be home around 8.

I love you.

-Peeta

I look from the note to the clock.

_7:45_

_Fair enough._ I think, and sit on the couch with the cupcake. I study it, turning it this way and that. The frosting is perfectly centered, in an even swirl up to the top. Not like mine, which the towers are small, off to one side, and sloppy.

The color is an evenly blended green, no streaks of color like mine. I sigh, looking at the perfect thing. I don't even know if I should eat it!

"Keep in mind, I've had a lot more experience than you." I hear, and I gasp, whipping my head around.

Peeta is standing there, smiling.

"I didn't even hear you come in! You scared me!"

He smiles, and sits next to me. He kisses me on the cheek, and raises the cupcake in my hands.

"You did a really good job." I say.

"Not really. See, the-" But when he notices the look I'm giving him, he stops. "Thank you." He smiles. "I figured I should bake more. The other ones were kinda..."

"All over the walls?" I ask, looking around. I look back at him. "Did you clean them up?"

"Yeah."

"Aww, thank you. You didn't have to do that. It was my mess to clean up."

"Brought about by me. So..." He wraps an arm around me, and kisses my cheek. I lean on him, laying a hand on his chest. I close my eyes for a moment.

"You're not gonna fall asleep on me again, are you?" He asks.

"No... I don't know why I'm so tired!" I exclaim, sitting up. He pulls me back down onto his shoulder gently.

"It's aright. Maybe you're coming down with something."

"No! I can't! The last time we were on a vacation, our HONEYMOON, I was sick! I refuse to get sick again!"

But I can't shake the upset feeling in my stomach. Even so, I don't want to show that I'm sick.

_It'll pass._ I think.

"Just to prove how healthy I am..." I say, unwrapping the cupcake, "Ill eat!" And with that, I shove almost the entire cupcake in my mouth. It's very rich, and my stomach churns. But, I swallow it, and smile at him.

"You've got a little..." Peeta says, pointing at his mouth.

"What?" I ask, knowing my teeth are covered in cake. "Oh!" I say, wiping the edges of my mouth.

"Better?" I ask with a huge smile.

"Yes." He smiles back, and kisses me. I kiss him back, leaning in.

"Just so you know, you're far better to kiss than the drunk airhead." He says.

"Oh, thanks." I say sarcastically, sitting back.

"What?" He asks. "Did I say something wrong?"

I sigh, and get up. I walk to the bathroom and brush my teeth, getting all the cupcake off. When I'm done, I wash my face, and consider taking a shower.

Then, I see Peeta appear in the mirror behind me.

"I'm sorry." he says.

"I didn't realize it was a competition." I say, looking down, trying to busy myself. I think about brushing my teeth again, when he comes behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist. He turns me around, and tilts my chin up. He pulls me in for a long kiss.

"There's no competition." He says. "It's you. Always has been, always will be."

I smile, and kiss him again. We stand there kissing for quite a while. But suddenly, my stomach lurches, and I have to dive to the toilet. I throw up, and Peeta races to my side, rubbing my back. I sit back, , leaning on his shoulder.

"You're sick." He says, lifting me up. He carries me to the bed, and gently lays me down.

"No. My stomach is just upset because the only thing I ate today was a cupcake."

"I'm all... Gross." I say.

"No, you're not." He says, pulling me in. I give up, and hold onto him.

"Okay." I say quietly, laying my head on his chest. I don't know when I fall asleep, but eventually I do. In my dream, I wake up back at home. Peeta isn't there, but I have a feeling he's home. I get up, and go downstairs looking for him. I hear a voice behind me. I turn around and see Peeta. I walk over, and give him a hug. In my dream, my stomach still hurts.

Peeta places a hand on my stomach and smiles. He murmurs something about a baby. That sets me aback. Baby?

Then, there's a knock at the door. Gale comes rushing in, and grabs my hand.

"I came as soon as I heard!" He says.

"Heard what?"

"About the baby."

"I just found out, how did you-" But he cuts me off with a kiss. I shriek, and slap him as hard as I can.

"Not something one would expect a mother to do to the father of her child." Says Gale. My jaw drops.

"YOU? How..." I look and see Peeta, his face twisted in what looks like a mix between confusion and pain.

"We... About a month ago... You don't remember?" asks Gale.

"No, I do NOT remember! This... THING growing inside of me... It has to be Peetas..." I start to walk over to Peeta, but he brushes me away.

"Good luck with your... Thing." He says, and leaves.

"No!" I cry, going after him, but Gale holds me back. I turn, and start hitting him, kicking and screaming. He just grabs me, pulls me into a kiss, and hugs my arms at my sides. Finally I just give up struggling and stay as still as I can, hoping he'll stop. When he does, I drop to the floor.

"Hey, don't cry Catnip." He says, resting a hand on my shoulder. "Now we can be together. That's what you wanted, isn't it? To marry who you love, not who you were forced to marry?"

"I wasn't forced to marry him. I love HIM. Not you."

"Aw, come on. You don't believe that." He says, picking me up. "Now come on, we should get you to bed. The baby probably doesn't like all this commotion."

"No! No!" I fight against him, wanting with every fiber of my being to be back with Peeta. "No! No!"

"Katniss, stop." He says.

"No!"

"Katniss! Katniss!"

And suddenly, I'm being shaken, woken up. I open my eyes and see Peeta. I grab ahold of him, wrapping my arms around his neck, pulling him down to me.

"Katniss, are you okay?" He asks. I shake my head, squeezing my eyes shut as tight as I can.

"Hey..." He says gently, rubbing my back. "Do you want to tell me about it?".

Again, I shake my head.

"Okay." He says, putting his cheek on the top of my head. "Okay."

I don't fall back asleep, but Peeta does. I don't feel sick enough to throw up anymore. I feel a different kind of sick. I keep rethinking what Gale said.

_That's what you wanted, isn't it? To marry who you love, not who you were forced to marry?_

Did part of me not want to marry Peeta?

_No! No no no no, absolutely not! You love Peeta! Now stop questioning it._

I curl in close to Peeta, and take a deep breath.

"I love you, Peeta Mellark." I say, out loud. "I really, really do."

When I figure I can't stand being in bed another minute, I get up and make breakfast. I'm as quiet as I can be, closing the bedroom door on my way out. I cook pancakes, eggs, and even some bacon they had in the fridge. I wash all the dishes in the small sink in the kitchen, set the table, and even have time to take a shower, and Peeta still hasn't woken up.

I remember something.

_Tonight's the Art Show._

When I finally hear Peeta wake up in the other room, I walk in and plant a kiss on his forehead.

"Good morning, sleepy head!"

He smiles, and gets out of bed. He walks to the kitchen, and is surprised when he sees the breakfast.

"When did room service come?" he asks.

"I.. Made it." I say, looking at him.

"I know." he says with a wink and a smile, and kisses my cheek.

_I'm not sold. _

"It looks great." He says, and sits down. We each pile our plates, and eat until we're full.

"So." I say, washing the breakfast dishes. "The art show is tongight."

"I know." He says, coming over to me.

"Are you excited?" I ask.

"Yeah. A little." he says. I drain the sink, and turn around, and run into Peeta. He wraps his arms around me, and kisses the top of my head.

"And tonight, I'm not letting you out of my sight." He says.

"Not even if you get some big, fancy men throwing money at you?"

"Not even if big fancy men come and throw money at me."

He pulls me into a kiss, holding me there for a long time. My hands find their way to his hair, and his neck. He holds tight to me around the waist, lifting me up. He showers my face and neck with kisses, and I feel myself wanting more. I bring his face closer into mine, and he pulls me tighter against him.

And slowly, it's him who breaks it off, not me.

"What?" I ask, looking at him. "Oh. Wow. You don't want-"

"No! No, of course I do! I really do, I just.." He looks up, at the clock. "I have a meeting with-"

"I understand. No, that's awesome!" I smile, looking up at him. He looks down at me sadly.

"I'll be home as soon as I can." He says, and pulls me in for another kiss. He spins me around, then sets me back on my feet. He kisses me once again, quickly, then leaves. I stare at the door for a moment.

"Bye." I say, and go to sit down.

I lay down on the couch, looking oustide at the busy city life. Eventually, exhausted from lack of a good night's rest, I fall asleep.

I'm walking through town. To where? I didn't know. Probably the bakery. Suddenly, a little girl runs by, crying. I sop her, and ask her what's wrong.

"I can't find Daddy!" She wails.

"You poor thing!" I hug her, and she clutches to me. "I'll help you find your daddy, okay?"

She sniffles, and nods. I go to let her go, and wlak next to her, but she keeps her hold on my neck. So I pick her up, and walk aorund.

_Wherever I'm going can wait._ I think.

We walk around for a while but she doesn't see her dad. Then, she gasps.

"Daddy!" She exclaims. I set her down gently. "Thank you Mommy." She says, and gives me a kiss on the cheek.

"Mommy?" I ask quietly, placing a hand on my cheek, and standing up. I turn around, and see the little girl's father has picked her up, and is spinning her around. When they stop, I get a good look at his face.

Gale.

"No." I say, taking a step back.

"Hey, hon. I see you found the little rascal. Always runing away!" He walks over to me, and kisses me on the cheek.

_That little girl.. Is mine? _

"No!" I yell, and everybody in the square turns and looks at me.

"Everything all right?" Asks Gale, placing a hand on my arm.

"No, everything is not alright! YOU are plauging my dreams, and I don't even know why! I HATE you, Gale! I would never, EVER be with you, and this..." I say, gesturing to everything around me, "Isn't real. So I'm just going to walk away, and go be with Peeta."

"Peeta?" Asks Gale. "Who the hell is Peeta?"

"Peeta! The man I'm married to? The man I went through not one, but TWO Games' with?"

"Katniss... I went into the Games with you. And we only went in once... What is happeing to you?"

I shake my head slowly, backing up. I turn and run to the Bakery. But it isn't there. Just a clump of trees.

I don't know what to do. So I just sit on the ground, at the center of the small patch of trees. Then, I hear someone calling my name. It's distant.

"Katniss?"

I don't respond, thinking it's Gale.

"Katniss?"

That's not Gale's voice...

"Katniss!"

That's Peeta!

"Peeta!" I jump up and yell.

"Peeta... Peeta..." I'm mumbling in my sleep when I'm woken up. "Peeta?"

"Katniss..." I'm pulled into a tight, warm hug. "You were having another nightmare. What is so bad that it's making you scream that loudly?"

"I-I..." I start. I sit up,a nd he cradles me in his arms.I begin slowly.

"The two dreams were related. Like, one came after the other. Last night, I had a dream that we were home. And I... I was pregnant."

"Having a child is really that trrifying to you?" He asks.

"No! Well..." I quickly change the subject, "The part that really scared me was that the baby-" But I stop myself.

_Nice one, Katniss. Now you're going to have to tell him the baby was Gale's._

"The baby was what?" He asks gently.

"It wasn't... Yours."

He freezes for a moment, but keeps the same soothing tone.

"Did you know who's it was?"

I nod, not wanting to tell him.

"It ws Gale's..." I say hoarsely, my vocie barely above a whisper. All his muscles tense, and he loosens his grip on me.

"Peeta, that's why it ws so bad. Because, if I was going to have a kid, it needed to be yours." My eyes are filling with tears, and when he looks at me, his expression softens. He holds me tight again.

"It's okay." He kisses the top of my head. "It was just a deam. You're with me now, and not pregnant." He chuckles. "You're not pregnant, are you?" I can hear the pain masked in his voice.

"Not that I'm aware of." I smile, and kiss him.

"Although, that would explain the spontanious stomach ache yesterday" He smiles, and kisses me back.

"And the mood swings."

"And the exhaustion." He laughs lightly, and kisses me again. But I freeze.

"Peeta..."

"What?" he looks at me, concerned.

"What if I'm pregnant?"

**A/N: I had a loooong time to write, 16 hours, so I'm gonna publish one MEGA CHAPTER. Hope it makes up for the times I went AWOL! BIG LOVE TO YOU ALL! And thank you, for those that wished me and my team luck! :D**


	34. Chapter 34

**A/N: Another 12 hours of writing time today. That's 28 hours in a car... UGH. **

Chapter 34

Katniss POV

"W-What do you mean?" He asks.

"What if I'm pregnant?" I ask quietly.

"Is... Is that a possibility?" he asks, letting his hands drop.

"I don't know." I say, getting up.

"Katniss, I didn't mean to freak you out. You're probably no pregnant, I was joking.."

"But what if I AM! It makes a lot of sense. The sleep, the crying... Oh god." I put my face in my hands.

He walks over, and picks me up off the ground. He walks me over to the bed, and I realize I'm shaking.

"It's going to be okay. We'll find out tonight whats going on..."

"Tonight is the art show." I say weakly.

"Then we'll go to a doctor now. Or never. Whatever you want to do, we-"

"We need to get a test. I'll find out, and then we'll go to the show." I say. It feels like all the energy has been sucked out of me.

"I'll get a test." He says, getting up.

"But if they see you, then everyone will know."

"What do you want to do then? Help me out here."

I look up at him, an stare into his eyes for a long time.

"I'm not pregnant. I... I would know."

"Okay." He says, and hugs me.

"I just overreacted."

We sit in the bedroom for a long time, and when I put my head on his chest, I can hear how fast his heart is beating.

"Have you already submitted your piece?" I ask him.

"Yeah." He smiles. "I gave it to them this morning."

"Well, I'm excited to see it. When do you need to be there?"

"Uh..." he looks at the clock, "Two hours. They want me there a little early."

"Okay, so when should I be there?"

"In two hours." He smiles, and kisses my nose.

"I should shower before then. I feel gross."

"I need to shower too." He says.

"I'll make it quick." I say, kiss him on the cheek, and run to the bathroom before he can get in another word.

I turn on the shower, but don't actually shower. Instead, I pull a familliar-looking pouch out of my travel bag.

I take the pregnancy test very carefully, and wait a torturously long time. I'm not even sure I want to see what it has to say. With shaking hands, I pick up the test. I'm trembling so bad I can't be sure of what I see. But I set the test on the counter, and my fears are confirmed.

_I'm pregnant._

I let out a choked sob, and hear Peeta come to the bathroom door.

"Katniss! Are you okay?"

"Yeah!" I yell, climbing into the shower. "I just stubbed my toe."

I stay in the shower just long enough to soak my hair, then I turn it off and climb out.

I panic when I see the test. I end up putting it back in the package, and back into my bag, to dispose of when Peeta's gone.

I walk out of the bathroom, and sit on the bed.

"There." I breathe. "Your turn."

He goes into the bathroom, and I hear the shower turn back on. I walk into the kitchen, and bury the test deep in the trashcan. Then, I go back in to get dressed. I dry myself completely off, and look in the closet for my dress. Instead, I find a brand new one. It looks almost exaclty like the one I wore for my first interview with Ceasar Flickerman before the Games.

I slip it on, and it fits perfectly. Just then, Peeta comes out of the shower.

"Wow." He breathes, looking at me.

"I was about to say the same thing!" I exclaim. "Where did you find this?"

"Effie had it sent. She heard about the art show, and wanted something special for you to wear."

"Thank you!" I say, hugging him.

He gets dressed, and I adjust and flatten his tie just before we walk out the door. He threads his fingers in mine, and we walk to the elevator, go downstairs, and call a car. We give them the address of the Bolt, and we're driven there.

We get out, and are escorted in. Peeta is led to the center of the show, and he pulls me along, determined not to lose me again. We stand before a large curtain.

"So, what exactly is the theme of the show?" I ask.

"Beauty." Smiles the man, turning to Peeta. "We chose your poece to be the centerpiece because we loved your card."

"Card?" I ask, and feel bad for asking so many questions.

"The card is a short summary, a description of what the painting is." says Peeta, squeezing my hand reassuringly.

"And, if you wouldn't mind, when we unveil the painting, we were hoping you would read the card?"

"Of couse." smiles Peeta. The man thanks him, shakes his hand, smiles once more at me, and leaves.

"Well, now all we have to do is wait." Peeta says, and kisses me on the cheek.

We wander around, and all of the paintings and photographs are, well, beautiful. Landscapes, animals, some photos close-ups of flowers, people...

"Yours must be really something to have all of these centered around it." I say. "Well, they're always something... What'd you paint, the meadow?"

He smiles. "Yeah, something like that."

I try to be happy, and smile as much as I can. But I can't shake the utter terror that has overcome me.

_Me. Katniss Mellark. A mother. How am I going to tell Peeta? WHEN am I going to tell Peeta?_

We continue walking, until we've seen every paitnign and photo at least twice.

"I'm really proud of you." I say.

"Thank you so much for coming here with me." He kisses my forehead.

Then it's time for the grand unveiling. Peeta steps up to a podium, leaving me in the audience, but not before he gives me a quick kiss on the cheek.

"I love you." I mouth at him silently.

"I love you." He mouths back.

Then, the big man from earlier intorduces Peeta. Everyone claps, and Peeta starts talking.

"This art show is about beauty. Beauty, by definition, is a combination of qualities that is pleasing to the senses. So, there are many things people can find beautiful. A particular place, a loved one, a memory. And I chose to paint the thing I find most beautiful in this world. If I'm here, I'm happy. I think about this, and... It's like everything is alright."

And with that, Peeta steps back. Looking around, I see everybody's misty-eyed, some tabbing at the corners of their eyes with fancy hankercheifs. I'm teary, too. Then, the curtain is pulled back, and everyone in the room gasps. The painting isn'tthe meadow. It's not the bakery.

It's me.

If people weren't crying before, they sure as hell were now. They were leaning on each other, smiling.

"Beautiful." I heard someone say. Others were murmuring things like that. Tears ae falling from my eyes, and I'm laughing, smiling, looking at the painting.

It's me, hair braided, smiling slightly. It's a profile view of my face, and the background is blotches of red, orange, and gold. In big, flowy, silver writing at the bottom, is the word "Beautiful". Peeta steps off the stand, and walks over to me, smiling. I hug him tightly, and everyone claps.

"I love you." Peeta says.

I'm speechless. I just hold him. Half-crying, half-laughing. And my crying isn't entirely out of joy. I jyst stand there, crying into Peeta for a long time.

People leave, and I just stand there like a fool, holding Peeta. Finally, I calm down.

"I love you." I say to him.

"Come on, we can go now." He says gently, leading me back outside.

"You don't want to stay?"

"Nah. It'll be the same old people." He smiles, and we go back to the hotel.

"Everyone was talking about how much they loved your dress." Says Peeta, getting changed.

"Really?" I ask, hanging my dress up.

"Of course. You.." he syas, walking over to me, "looked stunning." He leans down, and kisses me. I bring a hand up to the back of his neck.

"You were amazing tonight." I say, breaking away.

"I had amazing inspiratin." He smiles, leaning back in. After a moment, he breaks off. "I forgot! I ordered a congratulatory treat." He walks to the kitchen, and comes bac in with.. No surprise, champagne.

Champagne. _I can't drink! I'm..._

Peeta hands me a glass, and I smile.

"Cheers!" he says, clinkin glasses with me. He downs his, and looks at me expectantly.

"I'm not thirsty." I say. He tilts his head to the side in confusion.

"Alright. Well, you were sick, so.." He smiles, and drinks my glass, too. Peeta sets the bottle down on the nightstand, and smiles back.

I get up on tiptoe, and kiss his forehead, He closes his eyes, and sighs.I wrap my arms around his waist, and bury my face in his chest.

"I'm sorry about crying earlier. You must have been so embarassed..."

"Not at all." He says, and kisses the top of my head. I look up at him, and he outs a hand under my chin, and pulls me up for a kiss.

_Tell him._

He slides an arm around my waist, lifting me up, pulling me against him. I hold the sides of his face gently, pulling him in to me.

_Tell him now._

He lays me on the bed, kissing up my neck.

_Katniss, you need to tell him!_

I try to think, try to form the words. Peeta breaks off, and looks at me.

"Are you alright?" he asks, gently.

I try to say no in response, but instead, I start to cry. Again.

I roll over, and bury my face into the pillow. I can tell he's confused, so he just rubs my back, and lays next to me.

"Do you want to talk about it?" He asks. I shake my head furiously. "Okay."

And we lay there. I've stopped crying, I just lie in silence. Finally, I pick my face up, and look at Peeta.

"How much longer are we gone be here?" I sniffle.

"I don't know. We can leave tomorrow if you want-"

"When do you want to leave?" I ask him. He sighs slightly.

"I don't. Not really."

I stare at him for a minute, trying to figure out what to say next.

"I think... You should stay here. Paint,ean lost of money. It's great for you."

He leans in and hugs me. "Thank you Katniss. I-"

"But." I say, pulling back, "I'm not going to." He stares at me, uncomprehendingly.

"I'm going home." I say, my voice cracking.

_What? NO! You need him!_

"What?" He asks.

"I need to be home. Capitol life... isn't for me."

"I'm going home too, then." He says.

"You said yourself, you want to stay!" I exclaim, crying again.

"I want to stay with you. But if you aren't there... Then It's not the place for me." And with that, he pulls me into a hug. I stop crying, and nod.

"Okay."

I slowly fall asleep, listening to the sound of Peeta's heartbeat. I'm woken up I the morning by a kiss on the cheek. Peeta's standing there, and our packed suitcases are at the foot of the bed.

"You packed?" I ask hoarsely.

"You seemed eager to get out of here." He shrugs.

We go to the train station after I get dressed. We're just about to board, when he takes in a sharp breath.

"What?" I ask, turning around, worried he's hurt.

"I completely forgot, I have a-"

"Meeting." I sigh.

"It's the last one. No! Shit, I have one tomorrow."

"Then stay." I say.

"Stay?"

I struggle to keep my voice even. "You have meetings. So, stay."

"And you..."

"I need to be home." I say, closing my eyes.

"And I need to be with you." He says, a pleading look in his eyes. I step up onto the train, and pull him close. He lays his head on my chest.

"I'll come home as soon as I can. And I'll call all the time."

I smile weakly, and see the sadness in his eyes. I kiss his forehead, then each of his eyes. I rest my forehead on his.

"I'll see you soon." I whisper, a silent tear rolling down my cheek. I wipe it away, and look at him.

"I love you." He says. I smile back at him.

"I love you."

The train lets out a loud whistle, and rumbles to life. I pull Peeta in for one last, light kiss, then I move away. I run to the room, pulling the blankets over my head, and just pretend none of this is happening. Because that's all I can do.

**A/N: WIFI IN IOWA! YAY! I can update, but I have NO time to write, literally. So... Here is the next chapter!**


	35. Chapter 35

**A/N: Hey! Hope I can update at some point in time!**

Chapter 35

Katniss POV

I stay in bed the entire ride. I don't cry, at first. I just lay there. Then, suddenly, I feel something. A slight movement.

When I feel it, I scream loudly. Very loudly. Just feeling this brings on a whole new bout of tears. I clutch my pillow, sobbing Peeta's name.

I lose track of time. I drift between sleeping, and crying until the train comes to a stop in 12. I climb out shakily, and walk back to our house. When I'm there, I do the same thing I did on the train. I go straight up to the bedroom, and I don't come out for a long time. I'm not sure how long I'm in there. A day passes, maybe, or two. I don't eat, I just lay there, overcome with terror, and grief. My stomach hurts, but I refuse to eat.

_Maybe if I don't eat, then this... Thing will-_ But I stop thinking that. _Katnis! That is sick! You need to take care of this child, Peeta's child. Eat. _

I slowly go downstairs, and look around for food. Nothing in the kitchen is fresh. I pull on a jacket, and decie to go buy something. On my way to the store, I see the doctor's office. I look down at my stomach.

_No. Peeta has to be the first to know. _

I don't eve know if I could handle being there without him. I walk into Sae's store, and find a large pot of soup cooking behind the counter. I buy a bowl without saying much to her, and leave, walking back home. I sit at the table, and force myself to eat the soup. It's hot, and it burns my tongue, but I manage to finish the entire bowl. I throw away the plastic dishes afterwards, and sit at the table. I put my head in my hands, and sigh. I'm about ready to start crying again, when I hear a noise. I look up,a nd see, standing in the doorway, Peeta.

I smile, and run over to him. He picks me up in a hug, and I hold onto him as tight as I can.

"I missed you so much." I say.

"I missed you too." And then, he kisses me. I kiss him back, and he sets me down, but doesn;t let go of me. And I'm glad. I don't want him to.

"How was your last meeting?" I ask.

"Long. Boring. All I could think about was coming home. What did you do while I was gone?"

I bite my lip, trying to come up with something.

"Nothing, really." I say. And I'm not exactly lying. We stand there for a moment, then, suddenly, t happens again. I feel the baby move. I let out a small yelp,a nd Peeta looks at me with concern.

"Are you okay?" He asks worriedly,

"I just.. Need to use the bathroom." I say, and run upstairs.

I lock myself in the bathroom, and sit down.

_You need to tell him._

I get up, and shakily open the door. I make my way down the stairs, and stand on the last step.

"Peeta?" I ask quietly, and he turns and looks at me.

"Yeah? Is everything alright?"

I slightly shake my head.

"I... I... I'm pregnant." I choke out. I look up at him, and see emotions flicker across his face. First shock, then a huge smile breaks out, and he runs to me, picking me up and spinning me around.

"That's amazing!" he laughs, and kisses me. He sets me down, and I almost collapse to the floor. He sits down with me, and pulls me close.

"That's amazing... You..." He smiles. He looks at my stomach, and holds up a hand. "May I?" He asks. I nod, and he gently lifts up the hem of my shirt, and lays his hand on the tiny, almost unnoticeable bump just under my stomach.

"How long have you known?" He asks softly.

"The day of the art show. I found out just before we went."

"Why didn't you tell me?" He asks. He's not angry at all, and everything he says is in a soft, soothing voice.

"You were busy. And..."

"And you wanted to come home. And I stayed behind, oh!" He pulls me in. "I'm so sorry."

"You don't need to be. At all." I kiss him on the cheek.

That night I sleep closer to Peeta than before. I'm cold, so I huddle as close to him as possible. He has one arm wrapped protectively around me, and he's asleep. I try my hardest to fall asleep, but I can't. I close my eyes, and lay there. I don't know how long I lay there. Hours, maybe. Suddenly, I feel Peeta tense up. His arm grips me tightly, and he starts breathing heavily.

"Peeta?" I ask, sitting up. His eyes are closed, and he has a pained look on his face. "Peeta!" His head turns from side to side. I put my hands on either side of his head, and stop him. "Peeta, wake up, okay? Peeta?"

I say his name louder and louder, until I'm almost screaming. His eyes fly open, and he shoots up with a loud gasp. He turns and looks at me, panting. He closes his eyes, and tries to calm down. I sit up, and he lays his head on my chest. I stroke his hair, which is matted down with sweat.

"It was bad, Katniss..." He says with a shaky voice. I hold him tightly, and wait for him to stop shuddering. He doesn't fall back asleep, though.

"It..." He whispers, but I slowly stroke the side of his face, shushing him softly.

"Try not to think about it. Think about something happier."

"Like what? All I can think of are the games, the war..."

"Think of... Our wedding. Remember how beautiful that day was?"

He nods slightly, but I can tell he needs more.

"Remember the day we spent in the garden, planting all those flowers? Then the night that it rained, and we stayed in the living room, and invented cake mush?"

He laughs lightly, but I don't stop listing things.

"And our honeymoon in 4. Then your big art show... Then you came home, and I told you that-"

"You're going to have a baby." He murmurs.

"WE are going to have a baby." I say, and he smiles.

"Thank you." He says after a long pause, and closes his eyes again. I continue to play with his hair, and he soon falls back asleep I try my hardest to fall asleep, but don't. I can't get up, or I'll wake Peeta. I can't fall asleep either. So I lay there, miserable.

I try to fall asleep. I think of the happy things, like I did with Peeta. Except that list ends with the pregnancy. I try not to think about it, but how can you not think of osmething like that?

I don't sleep a wink the rest of the night. But in the morning, when Peeta wakes up, I pretend to be asleep, and wake up just a minute after he does. He smiles when I open my eyes.

"Thanks for calming me down last night." He says. "I'm sorry I woke you up."

"You didn't, really. Don't worry about it." I kiss him on the cheek.

"Do you want some breakfst?" He asks, getting up.

"No, but thank you." I say. He frowns slightly.

"Alright." He says, and goes downstairs to cook for himself. I go after him,a dn sit at the table.

I curl back up on the bed, and stare at the floor. I don't feel well.

Obviously.

I stare at the wall, and the tiny golden flowers on the wallpaper. After memorizing the patern, laying there for what feels like at least an hour, I shift my gaze downwards at the carpet. The light is shining in through the window, and I can see every fiber of the rug, every last strand standing out of place. I lay there in a haze, and I don't notice Peeta come into our room. In fact, I'm not snapped back to reality until he shakes me out of it. Gently, of course, but enough to draw me back.

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah..." I say, and look up at him. "I'm fine." He gives me a strange look, but changes the subject.

"What would you like to do today?" He asks.

"I don't know." I say, quietly, and pull the blanket tighter around me.

"Do you want me to just leave you alone?" He asks softly. I shake my head slightly, and he comes to lay next to me. He plays with a bit of my hair.

"It's starting to get long again." he murmurs, close to my ear.

I nod, but don't say anything. He leans up, and kisses my cheek. "Is there anything you'd like to do today?"

I shake my head slowly.

"Okay." He says sadly.

After a minute, he goes downstairs to paint. Or bake. I can't tell. I just lie there.

Buttercup comes back, padding his mangy way into the house. Actually, he keeps me good company. I'm in the bed most of the time now. I don't eat, I don't sleep. Peeta brings me food, but I feed it bit by bit to Buttercup, then thank Peeta quietly. I don't really talk, either. Days pass like this, and I don't know why I'm so miserable.

One day, I get out of bed, and run a bath. I sit in it, soaking, for a long time. My stomach is starting to grow ever so slightly.

_I must be at least a month in._ I think to myself. I sigh deeply, and get out of the bath. I towel myself dry, and get dressed in fresh pajamas. I walk downstairs, and find Peeta painting. He looks up at me, and smiles. He gets up, and walks to me, standing in front of me. I look up from the floor, and into his eyes. I let out a choked sob, and fall into him.

He holds me up, and I cling to him. I cry into his shoulder, stammering.

"I... So... Sorry..."

He sways back and forth, and eventually I calm down.

"Peeta... I am so sorry. I shut you out."

"No," He says gently. "It's okay."

"It is in no way shape or form okay. I have pushed you out when you need to be here most."

He pulls me in for another hug. "It's alright, okay? Are... Are you going to let me in now?"

I nod. "I need to. For your sake and mine. And..." I look down at my stomach, "Theirs."

He hold me tightly, then he cook dinner. I pick at the food on my plate, and even eating a small amount, I'm nauseaus. I wash the dishes, though, and then we go to bed.

I lay back in bed, already in my pajamas, and Peeta changes, then lays next to me. I turn away, like so many nights bafore, but catch myself. I turn back around, and quiclkly pull myself to him. He's surprised for a moment, but then wraps his arms around me.

"Goodnight." I say softly.

He puts a hanf under my chin, and tilts my head up to look at him. He kisses me very softly, then rests his forehead against mine.

"It's really good to have you back." He says, and I close my eyes. I fall asleep, curled against Peeta's warmth, a comforting feeling I had grown to miss.

In my dream, I'm standing in a large crowd. Holding my hand is a small girl with bright blue eyes, and golden, curly hair. Holding her other hand is Peeta. He looks at her, then me, and smiles. That's when I recognize the little girl as our daughter. She tugs on my hand, so I bend down. She cups her hands around my ears and whispers.

"I love you so much mommy."

She then throws her arms around my neck, and giggles. In a small state of shock, I hug her back, standing. I smile, squeezing her tightly, but carefully. I don't want anything to hurt this child, my child. I'm so happy, I'm smiling and crying at the same time. I look at Peeta, and he comes over and hugs us. We stand there huddled, and I'm a state of pure joy.

Then, a cloud passes in front of the sun. The air grows colder, and I hear the screech of a microphone. Someone clears their throat, and says loudly and clearly, "Lilly Mellark".

I look down at the perfect child holding my hand, then at Peeta. He has a horrible expression on his face, and picks her up. He kisses her on the cheek, then walks in the direction of a large stage.

_No. Not my child! She can't be more than 2!_

I try to wrestle my way through the crowd to them, screaming. But with every person I push past, they grow farther and farther away. I break into a full sprint, trying to catch up with them, and I see Peeta climb the stairs leading up ot the stage, and set her down. She's crying, and is picked up by someone else. I squint to see who it is, and I'm struck with pure horror when I figure it out.

_Snow._

I try again to run ot the stage, to run to Peeta, but all I see is Snow, holding my daughter. But there's Peeta, back on the ground, and he opens his arms. I hold him tightly, screaming and crying. And when I open my eyes to look back up at him, I'm in my bedroom at home, being held by the real Peeta. I clam down some, but contnue to hold him tightly.

"What happened?" He asks gently.

"It was a good deam, at the beginning. We were standing with her in the middle of a bunch of people-"

"Standing with who?"

I sniffle. "Our daughter."

He smiles slightly, but his face grows serious again.

"Then.. A man on a stage called her name, and you brought her up at the stage. The Snow took her form you, and..." But I break off, not being able to talk.

"The reaping. But, Katniss, you know there are no more Games. And Snow is dead." He brushes a strand of hair out of my face. "It's all alright."

"I'm so scared, Peeta." I say hoarsely.

"I know." He kisses my forehead. "I know."

I take a deep breath. "Lilly." I say.

"Lilly?" He asks.

"The was her name." I say. "Lilly."

He smiles. "That's a beautiful name."

"She had your hair, and your eyes. She couldn't have been more than two, and she was still the most beautiful thing I had ever seen..."

He smiles again. "It's no all bad, see? And, you never know, we could have a Lilly."

"Whatever it is," I say, looking down at my stomach, "I know I'll love it more than anything."

"You're going to be an amazing mother." he says.

"I hope so."

"I know so." He says, then leans in and kisses me.

In the morning, I'm able to eat a bit more than I ate for supper. Peeta comes with me, and we walk through town, somehow finding our way to the meadow. We lay down in the middle of the field. The grass is tall, and when we lay down, it towers over us. Flowers are everywhere, and a warm wind is slowly blowing.

"It's a really nice day." I say.

Peeta lightly traces the lines on the plam of my hand with his fingertips. He presses my hand to his lips, then the side of his face, and I turn, bringing myself closer to him. I pull him in for a long kiss, then lay my head on his shoulder.

"We need to get a checkup, right?" I ask. "Isn't that something pergnant women do?"

"I'd completely forgotten about that..."

"I was going to go, but I wanted to wait, so you could go with me."

"You'd let me be there with you?"

I lightly laugh. "I don't think I could go without you."

"When do you want to go?"

"Today, tomorrow, anytime really."

"Today?"

"Well, why not? We should get the baby checked out. The sooner the better."

"Alright then. Wen we get home, I'll call and make an appointment."

And, sure enough, the first theing Peeta does when we get back home is call the doctor's office and make an appointment with Dr. Elkhart. She says she can get us in at 4:30.

"That gives us an hour." I say when Peeta's hung up the phone. "An hour to think of everything that could go wrong..." My yeyes widen as I think of all the possiblities.

"Nothing will go wrong." He says, hugging me from behind. "I won't let anything go wrong."

"Promise?" I ask.

'I promise." He turns me around, and kisses me.

Eventually, 4:00 rolls aorund, and Peeta and I get ready to go. The walk should get us there a bit early, so we could check in.

Dr. Elkhart manages to let us in early. She's a friendly old woman, always has a smile on her face. She runs a normal doctor's appointment, asking questions, running simple tests.

"Well, Mrs. Mellark, It appears you've been pregnant for longer than you thought."

"What do you mean?" I ask.

"You said you thought you were a month in."

I nod.

"Well, you're actually closer to two."

"Two!"

"The honeymoon..." Peeta says quietly.

"You're not showing very much, leading us to believe you baby is much smaller then usual."

"Could... Could that be dangerous?" I ask, a hand covering my mouth.

"Potentially. But, if we keep an eye on it, growth should start back up as normal."

She schedules us another appointment for next week, and we leave. When we get home, I sink onto the couch, a hand on my stomach.

"It's not growing fast enough. There's no way I could have been pregnant since the honeymoon... Oh god! I drank alcohol, Peeta! You're not supposed to do that! I- I think I caused this!" I bury my face in my hands.

"You didn't. She said it should go back to normal, nothing was very wrong."

"Something is! Something's wrong!" My voice drops to a whisper. "You promised you wouldn't let anything happen. That nothing would be wrong."

"I- I'm sorry. But, this can be okay, it will be okay."

I stand up, and strt to go upstairs.

"I'm tired." I say, and start to climb the stairs. Peeta grabs me by the arm, and I turn my head to look at him.

"Katniss. I just got you back. Please, don't leave me again."

Tears well in my eyes, and I let out a short sigh. My lips are trembling, and I shake my head. I can see the hurt look in his eyes, and it kills me. I run upstairs to the room, and close the door. I oull the blanket over my head, and start to hyperventalate. I try to calm down, and eventually end up curled into a ball on my side, clutching my stomach.

"It's going to be okay." I say. I keep repeating myself, hoping that at some point in time I'll start to believe what I'm saying.

**A/N: That was a BUSY week! I;m updating now, I had 18 hours today to write, and I'll be home tomorrow!**


	36. Chapter 36

Chapter 36

Katniss POV

I try not to shut him out, I really do. I try to respond when he talks to me, but I cn't help the sunken feeling that has overcome me. It was the same feeling I got after the rebellion, a hollow, lifeless feeling. I know Peeta hurts, and so do I. Some days, it's alright. I even smile sometimes. As the days continue, things get easier.

One day, Peeta and I are eating. I wipe my mouth on my sleeve, not my napking, and Peeta says "Manners!" mocking Effie, in a ridiculous accent. And I laugh. I'm surprised at the sound, it's one I hadn't made in a long time.

Another time, I'm sitting in the garden when Peeta's at work. I'm under the willows, my back against the tree, a hand on my stomach. And I start to sing. I sing the meadow song to my baby. I sing every song I can think of, like I'm back in the Capitol. I sing softly, gently.

Suddenly, I hear a noise. My eyes fly open, and I see Peeta, standing in the corner of the trees.

"How long have you been there?" I ask, blushing.

"A while. You know, you're a beautiful singer." He sits down next to me. "Nothing's changed since the first time I saw you."

He kisses me softly on the cheek, and sits back. He interteines his fingers with mine, and we sit there. I look over at him, and cach him looking at my stomach, but then he looks away. I take my free hand, and pick up his other one. I guide his hand under my short to the bump on my stomach. He lets out a small chuckle, staring at his hand. He looks up at me, and smiles.

Eventually, he takes his hand off, and looks at me.

"Thank you." He says. I kiss him on the cheek.

"Thank _you_." I say. "You've put up with me through all of this."

"Of course I did." He says gently. "I love you."

"I love you too." I say. He leans in, and lightly brushes his lips across mine, the sits back, as if he's waiting for a reaction from me. I lean forward, firmly pressing my lips against his. He kisses me back, and I lean in. He falls backwards, and I land on top of him, and our lips never leave each other. It's then that I realize how long it's been since we've done more than just a quick kiss. And I just as quickly realize why.

Before I know it, I'm halfway across the lawn, emptying the contents of my stomach. Peeta's right by me, and helps me inside. I brush my teeth, getting the taste of it out of my mouth. He tucks me into bed, and kisses my forehead.

"You're such a good sport." I say, and he sits next to me. I motion for him to lay down, and he does.

We're facing each other, our faces just inches apart. I close the gap, pressing my lips softly to his. He kisses me back, just as gently. My hand reaches up, and rests on the side of his face. His eyes open, and look deep into mine. They're smiling, and I smile in return. Then, they stop smiling. The corners of his mouth drop.

"Peeta?" I whisper. His pupils grow and shrink, and I can see he's struggling with something.

"You..." He grinds his teeth, and speaks through a clenched jaw, "You're not a mutt. You didn't try to kill me. You didn't kill Rue. You... Sang to her."

"Yes, I did." I say gently. Tears are starting to glaze his eyes, but I kiss them away. He lets out a sharp sigh, and rests his forehead on mine.

"Could you sing for me?" He asks. I'm surprised, but I can see he's fighting another sequence of memories, so I sing.

"_Deep in the meadow, under the willow. A bed of grass, a soft green pillow_," I look at him, his eyes are closed, and I don't stop singing.

"_Lay down your head, and close your sleepy eyes. And when again they open, the sun will rise_." He is breathing slowly now.

"_Here it's safe, here it's warm. Here the daisies guard you from every harm_." I continue singing, fairly certain Peeta's asleep.

"_Here your dreams are sweet, and tomorrow brings them true. Here is the place where I love you_."

I tilt my hed down, and kiss Peeta's forehead. I lay back next to him, and close my eyes too, hoping to fall asleep. I must have fallen asleep, because I wake up a while later. I turn, and see Peeta loking at me with wide, concerned eyes.

"I had a spell earlier." He says. I nod. "Did I hurt you?" He asks, stating each word by itself.

"No." I say.

"Are you sure?"

"You were very strong. You told me that the things you were seeing didn't happen."

"I did?"

"Yes. Then I sang you to sleep."

"Thank you." He says quietly after a pause. He pulls me in for a tight hug, and speaks into my hair.

"Thank you. Things are going to get better, okay? I'll get better-"

"You are beter. That was your first attack in a month..."

"I'll continue to be better, then. And you-" He lifts my hed, and looks at me. "You'll be happier. Because you should be happy, you deserve to be happy."

I nod.

"Okay." I say, and lay my head back down on his chest.

Peeta resumes work at the bakery, and he's there most of the time. I can't work,a nd, even if I wanted to, nobody would let a pregnant woman work. So, I'm home most of the time. I take walks regularly, because Dr. Elkhart told me exercise is good for my baby. I tend to our garden, I even find time to build windowboxes for our house. I'm productive, and that keeps my mind from wandering, keeps me from thinking too hard on what was going to happen to me, what could happen...

By the time Peeta gets home every day, every room is clean, swept and vaccummed. The garden is tended too, and dinner is usually cooked. Sometimes I fall asleep early, before he gets home. When I do, he doesn't wake me up.

On occasion, we get a check from an art gallery that sold a painting of his, or a letter asking for another. Peeta paints in his free time, sometimes on weekends. We keep ourselves busy ni our own small ways. I stay happy, and he stays flashback free.

But there are nights where one or both of us wakes up screaming, petrified by the nightmares that haunt us. But one is always there for the other, with safe arms and loving lips. It isn't until I'm quite a few months in that I first feel our baby kick. It's moved before, but never something like a kick. When I do, I scream, half in terror, half in delight, and Peeta comes running.

"What?" he pants. "What is it?"

"It kicked!" I exclaim, waving him over. I lift my shirt, and place his hand on my stomach. As if it understands, the baby kicks, and Peeta smiles hugely. He gets down and hugs me, showering my face and neck with kisses.

Later on that day, we're sitting under the willows. Peeta is running his fingers along my arms, and I'm humming quietly. Then, an idea pops into my head.

"Willow." I say quietly.

"What?" He murmurs into the top of my head.

"It's a pretty name. Willow."

"Beautiful name." He smiles.

"Any other names you like?" I ask him.

"Hmm." He thinks. "I don't know. What if it's a boy?"

"I don't know. We could name him after his father." I smile.

"I love the idea of having a son." He says. "Don't get me wrong, I would be _thrilled _to have a daughter, but, a son..."

"Pearl." I say, remembering the Quell, the gift Peeta gave me.

"That's pretty."

"Luna." I say, thinking of the moon, just naming off ideas now. "Sarah."

"Lilly." Peeta says, close to my ear. I smile.

"Lilly. Emily. Grace. Rose." I choke up on the last name. But Peeta lightens the moment.

"Yes. Lets name our son Grace." I laugh, he laughs, and everything is alright.

"I don't know, I just have a feeling that it's a girl." I say, and lean back, closing my eyes. Peeta rubs my back, and I almost fall asleep. Just as I'm about to, I hear him talking softly.

"I love you." He says. I'm about to say it back, but he keeps talking. "I haven't met you yet, but I already love you."

_He thinks I'm asleep. Is he... Talking to the baby?_

"I know you're going to be beautiful. With a mother like Katniss, how could you not be? I can't wait to meet you." He gently places a hand on my stomach, and sighs.

Then, I really fall asleep.

When I wake back up, I'm in bed, and it's pitch black outside. Peeta is sleeping soundly next to me. I lay back, enjoying the quiet.

_When you're a mom, there'll be no quiet. In fact, right now you'd probably be trying to get it to stop screaming, or you'd be feeding it._

I chase the thoughts away with a shake of my head.

_This a good thing. _

I lay back down, and curl up against Peeta. He wraps his arms around me, and that makes everything better. I fall aseep again, smiling.

When I wake up in the morning, Peeta has already gone to work. I get dressed, and start to go through the daily routine. I pick up the house, sweep and vaccum. Then, I do yesterdays dishes. After, I go outside and water all the flowers in all the gardens. I weed the beds, and pick off dead buds. Then, I go inside and take a bath.

After that, I make lunch, a sandwich, and wash the few dishes I used. Then, I take a walk. I lace on sneakers, and walk through town, not really talking to anyone. I then do a rare thing, I turn at the fork in the road, and walk to the bakery. I bound up the steps, and into the small shop. The place smells amazing, and the air is warm. I make my way to the counter, and, not finding Peeta, ring the little bell. He comes out, and smiles when he sees me. He walks around the counter, and pulls me in for what I think is a hug. At the last second, he dips his head down, and kisses me.

I laugh, expecting him to let me go after a second, but he doesn't. He leans over with a hand on my back, bending me backwards, and pulling me towards him. I place a hand on the back of his neck, and his chest. He pulls me back to a standing position, and breaks away.

"Sorry." He breathes.

"For what?" I ask, and he walks behind the counter.

"I don't know." He shrugs, then leans on the counter, propping himself up on his elbows.

"You don't have anything to be sorry for." I say, walking closer. "Unless there's something you're not telling me..."

"No! No. Nothing like that... Anyway! What brings you to the bakery?"

"I was out for a walk, and I just decided to some say hi."

"Okay, well, would you like to go get lunch?" He asks.

"Sorry! I ate before I came..."

"No, I already ate too." He laughs. "You know, it's been a while since we've done anything outside the daily schedule."

"Well, I was kinda a booge for a couple months, and, I'm pregnant..."

"I'm glad you're happier." He says, and smiles slightly. "And I'm glad you're pregnant."

"I'm glad I'm happier, not so happy about the pregnancy." I cross over, and sit in a chair against the wall.

"You should be happy." He says, standing up. "Just think, very soon, in a matter of months, we'll have a baby." He starts to make his way over to me.

"I- I don't think I'm ready, Peeta! I'm scared."

"Hey." He says, taking my hand, and standing me up. He pulls me inot a hug. "Don't be scared."

"I can't help-"

"Don't. Be scared." I sigh, and lay my head on his chest. He puts his cheek on the top of my head, and we stand there, swaying, dancing to a silent song. We do that for a while, until we hear the door open. Peeta dashes back behind the counter, and smiles as an old woman walks in, asking about cakes. I make my way to the door, and wave goodbye to Peeta. He mouths a quick "sorry". I blow him a kiss, and leave, jogging back home.

I'm sitting on the couch when I hear a knock on the door, then a small scrape. I get up, and see a letter on the ground in front of the door. I bend down and pick it up, expecting it to be a letter from a gallery. But clearly printed in the top corner is:

Gale Hawthorne

Apartment 241 B

District 2

**A/N: I just got home, and had a bunch of schoolwork to catch up on. I couldn't update, and JUST TO WARN YOU! Might not be able to, for reasons. HOO-LIA! If you're reading this! I don't have my iPod! Thats why I'm not talking to you! :D**

**Lots of love to you all!**


	37. Chapter 37

A/N: I am so so SO SOSSOSOSOSOSOSOSO sorry my lovelies! I had to turn in my computer, so I lost my entire piece, including Chapter 37. THEN, I re-typed it yesterday. I tried to publish it, but it wouldn't upload. Then, my computer died. Like, flat out DIED. It won't turn on. THIS CHAPTER HAS BEEN TYPED UP FOUR TIMES for you! BECAUSE I love you all so much! And a SUPER SPECIAL thank you to dogalena for your lovely review, it made me so happy! SO! Here is Chapter 37, for your enjoyment. c:

Chapter 37

Katniss POV

I was tempted to rip the letter up. Rip it up, throw it into the fire, and watch it burn. But something inside me kept saying no. It told me over and over that no matter what, even through all that had happened, he was still my best friend. So, with shaky hands, I sat on the couch, and opened the letter.

_Hey, Catnip._

Even when he was writing he addressed me by my nickname.

_I bet you've probably noticed I haven't been around a lot. I decided to move back to 2, back to the rest of my family. But I made a mistake._

I rolled my eyes. _Shocker_! I thought with sarcasm.

_I left someone behind. Someone I really, truly care about, and someone that I really hurt. I am coming back to 12, and I was hoping I could meet with you. I need your help with this. I know I left thing on a sour note, but I am really, really sorry. So, please._

And that was the end. It wasn't signed, no "thank you" or "goodbye". Just... "Please."

I sigh, fold up the letter, and put it pack in the envelope. I walk upstairs, to the small desk we have, and pull out a piece of paper to write.

_Gale,_

That's as far as I get. I sit, staring at the blank paper for at least half an hour.

_Thank you for writing._

I scoff, and scribble that out.

_I was surprised-_

But I scribble over that too. I crumple up the paper, and toss it across the room.

_It shouldn't be this hard._

I pull out another paper, and concentrate.

_Gale,_

_I would like to meet with you when you come to 12, and I'll try to help with whatever you you need somewhere to stay, we have a spare bedroom. _

_-Katniss_

I quickly fold up the letter, jam it into an envelope, and seal it.

"Good enough." I breathe, and stand up.

I go to take another shower, feeling gross and sweaty after my jog. When I'm done, I put on warm pajamas, despite the heat outside. I go to the kitchen, and boil water.

_I'm going to cook dinner tonight._

I boil the potatoes, and find a large portion of meat in the refrigerator.

I realize that I want to make stew, and the potatoes can't be boiled for that. Not thinking, I reach into the pots, wanting to quickly get the potatoes out. I scream when I touch one, forgetting about the boiling water. I drop the potato, and run my hand under cool water, trying to hold back tears. After a while, I turn off the water, and run to the bathroom, where I wrap my hand with gauze.

When I calm down, I go back to cooking, and, with potholders, dump the contents of the potato pot into a strainer, and set the potatoes in a line on a bit of cloth to cool down. I cube up the meat, tossing it into a pan, and I cook it until it's brown. Then, I put it in a pot, with carrots, water, and a few other ingredients, and cook it as a stew.

I slice up what's left of the loaf Peeta brought home the other day, and set it on the table. I pour water into glasses, and set those in front of steaming bowls of stew.

_By the time Peeta gets home, the stew will be cool enough to eat._

I sit on the couch, exhausted. I look at the clock.

_5:30_

I yawn, stretching my arms over my head.

"Peeta will be home in... Half an hour."

I lay down, snuggled under a blanket.

"Quick nap." I say quietly, yawning again. "Quick nap..."

The next time I open my eyes, Peeta's right next to me.

"Good morning, Sleeping Beauty."

I blink, looking around.

"What time is it?" I mumble sleepily.

"It's 8. I got home really late today, I'm sorry." He chuckles.

"No, don't be." I say, sitting up. "Dinner's on the table." I point weakly with my hand, and notice the bandage. So does Peeta.

"Oh my God, Katniss! What happened?"

"Oh." I start at my hand. "I burnt it. On water."

He smiles, and hugs me. "I already ate, thank you."

"Was it good?" I ask.

"Very."

I close my eyes again, and smile, exhausted. I feel Peeta pick me up, and he carries me upstairs. He lays me down on the bed, and I pull him down next to me. He laughs, and lays on his side, facing me. I stretch over, and kiss him once, softly.

"I love you."

"I love you, too."

I close my eyes, and smile. I fall asleep, and wake up just as Peeta is leaving for work. I run down the stairs, and run straight into him, wrapping my arms around him. He stumbles backwards for a moment, laughing.

"Are you okay, Katniss?" He asks, wrapping an arm around me. I nod.

"Just wanted to say bye…" I say quietly. He pulls back, and studies my face.

"You sure you're okay? I can stay home."

"No, that's fine." I say. "Go to work. I just wanted to say bye." I smile, and kiss him on the cheek.

He leaves, a bewildered look on his face, and I go back up to bed.

Peeta POV

I walk to the bakery, and open up, flipping the sign around. I go inside, and take yesterday's pre-made cookie dough out of the fridge. I roll it out, cut it up, and set the small cookies on sheets to bake. Then, I take bread dough off the cupboards that rose overnight, and put those in the oven to bake first. After everything's cooking, I start to mix new cookie dough. I get a few costumers, children coming in to buy cookies for snack at school, a woman buying a birthday cake for her daughter.

I'm in the back room when I hear the door bell jingle. I wipe my hands on my pants, and walk out.

"Hello?" I ask, but don't see anyone. I hear a scuffling sound, and I peer over the top of the cupboard. There, I see a little girl. She looks up at me, and smiles, her bright blue eyes pinching shut in the corners. Her hair is long, in blonde ringlets, and she can't be more than 4 years old.

I duck behind the counter, and look at her through the glass of the display case. She stares at where I was, with a concerned look on her face. I tap the glass, and she turns to look at me, her smile returning with a giggle.

She looks at all the baked things in the case with wonder, her eyes resting on a cookie I frosted yesterday. It's got a soft pink icing, with brightly colored flowers here and there. Each flower is sparkling, coated in sugar crystals. She smiles, looking at it. I carefully pick it up out of the case, walk around the counter, and hand it to her. She gasps, and hugs me, throwing her short arms around my neck. She lets go, and takes a large bite out of the cookie. She swallows it and looks up at me. She puts a hand to her throat lightly, and says, "Firsty."

"You're thirsty?" I ask, and she nods. I go into the kitchen, get a small cup, fill it with milk, and bring it back out to her. She takes it carefully, wrapping both hands around it, and takes a sip.

"Fank you." She breathes. She takes another bite, then another sip, repeating the process until both the cookie and the milk are gone. She wipes her mouth with the back of her hand, and smiles at me again. I set the milk cup on the counter, just as a woman walks in.

"Oh, Lilly! I've been looking for you everywhere!" The woman runs over, and scoops the little girl up, cradling her in her arms. The woman turns, and looks at me. "Thank you so much for keeping an eye on her! I hope she didn't get into anything…"

"No, I gave her a cookie she wanted, and some milk."

"Well…" She says, reaching for her purse, "How much was it?"

"You don't have to pay for it." I say. She looks at me, a relieved look on her face.

"Thank you." She breathes, then looks at her watch. "Shoot, I have to be somewhere." She turns to leave. "Thank you again, Peeta!"

She walks outside, and over her shoulder the little girl waves goodbye to the bakery, smiling. I wave back, knowing she can't see me.

Katniss POV

I'm upstairs in bed when I hear the phone ring. I go downstairs slowly, and answer it.

"Hello?"

"Hello. Is Peeta Mellark there?"

"No I'm sorry, he isn't. May I ask who is calling?"

"My name is Amanda Tarbox, I am calling from the office of President Paylor."

I swallow hard, and struggle to keep my voice level.

"And what does Paylor want with Peeta?"

"She would prefer to speak with him about that. I'll call again later, thank you very much." And with that, she hangs up the phone.

I stand there in the kitchen until Peeta gets home, phone still to my ear, dial tone ringing, scared out of my mind.


	38. Chapter 38

A/N: Holy. Fudge. Okay, I know there isn't much of an excuse, but I'll try. Something you guys should know is that I switch between two houses, my moms and my dads. Now, I only have a computer at my moms, and I've been grounded from the computer for the past couple of weeks I have been here. Thank you all so much for sticking with this, MUCH LOVE TO YOU ALL! 3

Chapter 38

Katniss POV

When Peeta gets home, I'm still standing in the middle of the kitchen. He rushes over to me, concerned.

"What happened?" He asks, guiding me over to the couch, and sitting me down. He gently takes the phone from me, setting it on the table.

"T-the president wants to talk to you…" I stammer quietly.

"What? Why?" He sounded angry, and almost scared.

"They wouldn't tell me." I say, my voice quiet. "They are going to call again for you."

He sighs. "They needed me, specifically?" I nod.

He wraps his arms around me, pulling me into a hug. "Don't worry about anything, It'll all be okay."

"How can you be so sure, Peeta? Because, it seems every time you say that, nothing is okay!" I'm growing hysterical.

I can see he's struggling to come up with a response. Suddenly, I feel bad.

"I'm sorry." I say quietly.

"No, You're right." He says. "And I'm sorry for-" But I interrupt him.

"For trying to be optimistic? Don't be sorry." He sighs, pulling me closer. He is about to say something when suddenly, the phone rings. I sit back, and Peeta stands up, picking up the phone.

"Hello? Yes, this is he." Peeta starts to walk around the room, nodding occasionally. He was listening more than talking. "When?" he suddenly asks, stopping. "That soon?" A longer pause. "Alright. Thank you." He hangs up the phone.

"What's going on?" I ask, as he comes to sit next to me again.

"They're holding a victor's meeting in the Capitol." He says quietly.

"They why are only you invited? I'm a victor, too!"

"I know." He says. "And I'm not sure why I'm the one who is invited, but I have to go. It's not optional." I sigh shakily.

"How long will you be gone?"

"I don't know." He admits. "I leave tomorrow." I nod. I have no idea how I'm keeping so calm.

"Well." I say. "You should probably pack, then."

That night, after packing, I don't fall asleep. I lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, thinking.

_What could the meeting be about?_

_Why is only Peeta invited?_

_How long will he be gone?_

A million questions race through my mind, and I sigh deeply. I look over at Peeta, who is sound asleep. I wonder how much sleep he'll get in the Capitol. I lean over, and kiss his forehead lightly.

"I love you." I whisper.

I lay back down, and close my eyes. I know I'm not going to get any sleep.

Peeta wakes me up in the morning.

_I must have fallen asleep eventually_ I think, sitting up.

"I'm leaving now." He says gently, laying me back down. "You can go back to sleep."

"You'll…. Call?" I ask groggily.

"Every chance I get." He smiles. He kisses my forehead. "But I really have to go. I'll be home soon."

"I love you." I say.

"I love you too." He says, leaning in to kiss me softly. He pulls away too soon, way too soon, and leaves. I sigh, hearing him walk down the stairs, and out the door. I faintly hear a car door open and close. Then, the sound of the car driving away.

I curl back up under the blankets, and close my eyes.

_Maybe I can just stay here until he comes back…._

But I know he is going to be gone a lot longer than he's supposed to.

**A/N: I know this is the shortest chapter in the history of ever, but I have NO INSPIRATION. Truthfully? I absolutely hate this chapter. HATE IT. It's just really hot here, and I'm cranky, and… GAH. I'm not even sure where to take the story. Thinking about stopping it. Thoughts?**


	39. A letter to you all

Okay.

First off, I would like to apologize for not updating. I haven't been able to, I haven't had access to a computer, and you can't do it from an iPod.

Secondly, I'm not sure if I'll keep writing this. I may write a Fannie Fanfic, but this one is actually getting kind of boring for me to write, and that's never a good thing.

A lot of you commented with plot ideas, thank you so much! I had already planned out what would happen, (hint hint one of you was veeeery close) But I can't work up the motivation to write it, really. I'll try my best, I suppose.

If I WERE to try to write something else, what do you think it should be? I don't mind going AU, as long as it's not TOO FAR AU.

A giant special thanks to dogalena for still messaging me, even when I wasn't able to message you back.

So, please, let me know what you think I should do. Because I'm not sure. At all. I'd love to still write, I'm just not sure if I want to keep writing THIS.

Let me know.

Love you all. 3


	40. Chapter 39

**A/N: A few notes. c:**

**Blondie B.****: WOW that was fast! ;D That is a really good idea! Unfortunately, I've read a few fanfics where that happens. But thank you very much!**

Chapter 39

Peeta's POV

After getting into the car, the driver takes me to the train.

_Noting good comes of trains._ I think, sighing as I climb on.

I stay in my room most of the way to the Capitol, people occasionally coming in to bring me food. When we arrive, I'm escorted up a grand marble staircase into the Justice Building. We go through a maze of hallways, ending finally in a room with a large oval table. I see Johanna first. Then Beetee. Then Enobria.

_Victors. _ I think.

I sit across from Johanna.

"Do you know why we're here?" I ask her.

"I've got about as much of a clue as you do." She smirks.

We sit in silence for a few minutes before the door opens again. In comes Paylor, who sits at the end of the table.

"Commander." Johanna says casually, nodding in her direction.

"President." Beetee corrects her. Paylor smiles at that.

"Why did you call us here?" Annie asks softly, staring at the table. I hadn't even seen her. I notice a small bump on her stomach….

"I asked you to be here today so we can discuss something very important." Paylor says, and I snap my attention back to her. "We addressed the topic briefly before, but we were all a little…. Shaken." She says, her eyes flickering to me. "I would like to discuss the Hunger Games." She says.

"What about them?" Johanna asks, picking something out of her fingernails.

"I would like for us to talk about, and vote on, the possibility of bringing them back."

"What?!" I ask. "No. Absolutely not."

"Why not?" She asks, remaining extremely calm.

"Because!" I say. "Do you remember the mess that came BECAUSE of the Games?! You all remember-" I say, looking around the table, "What it was like to be in the arena. Why… Why would we do that to more kids?!"

"Where's Katniss?" Johanna asks randomly. "She's a victor, too."

"We selected just a few of you." Paylor says coolly. "One from each district. And there aren't very many of you left…"

I sigh, running a hand through my hair. "Okay. Does anyone honestly think we should bring back the Games?" I ask, looking around.

"I do." Says Paylor simply.

"Anyone else?" I ask, a hint of annoyance creeping into my voice. "The only ones who voted yes were Haymitch and Katniss. And _they_ aren't here. Looks like you invited the wrong people."

"I voted yes." Says Enobria quietly.

"So did I." Says Johanna. "And I still do."

My eyes widen slightly.

"I do too." Says Enobria.

I stare at them in disbelief.

"Great." Smiles Paylor. "Beetee?"

He looks at the table. "I-"

Annie cuts him off. "I vote no." She says, still quiet, still looking down.

"Two and three." Paylor says. "Are you going to make it a tie, Beetee?"

His gaze meets mine, a look of pure guilt in his eyes. "No." He says. "I vote yes."

I set my jaw, staring at him.

"It's decided." She says. "Planning for the Seventy-sixth Hunger Games will begin immediately."


	41. Update

Hello to all who are still reading!

This is just an update. I have recently (as in nearly two hours ago,) acquired a new laptop, and so I am available to write more often.

Unfortunately, I have completely lost interest in the story, and I won't be updating it any more. I am really sorry to everyone who liked it, but I just don't enjoy writing it. I might start up a new one, I'm not sure.

Love you all. Sorry again.

-Ali


	42. UpdateApologyI suck

Hello!

I know it has been months and months and months since I last updated, and even then it wasn't really an update. I'm so sorry I stopped writing. When I started it was something I found easy, and fun, and was something I looked forward to. But as I continued writing I ran out of ideas, and it wasn't something I looked forward to anymore, it was something I felt like I _had_ to do.

I have been thinking about the story a lot lately, and I would love to continue writing it. But I need some help from you guys. If you have any ideas at all I am _begging_ you to send them to me! Because I have absolutely no idea what else to do, and I would love to at least find some decent way to end the story..

I'm sorry I left for so long... :( But I'm (hopefully) going to start writing again, if you guys will help me out.

3 -A


	43. Chapter 40 (HEY GUYS I WROTE AGAIN! :D)

**Katniss**

I am curled up at home on my couch, watching tv when I see it.

"For 75 years the people of the twelve districts of Panem endured the cruel Hunger Games." Says an almost robotic female voice. My blood runs cold at the sound of it, at the thought of what could come next. "But there always rose a victor, triumphant and strong. This victor was the symbol of what we all should be."

"The first moment we showed weakness, letting two win instead of one, the country started to break, and eventually rebelled." They show images of the war, and even some of me.

"We held a meeting in the capitol with many of the remaining victors," Images of Johanna, Enobria, Beetee, Annie, and Peeta flash across the screen. "And there has been the decision to continue the Hunger Games. We are going to be holding them in the ruins of old arenas, to punish the people for their selfishness, and weakness. Much of the process will be like it used to, but some won't. We will keep you updated."

An anger fills my body and I throw the remote at the television, silencing it. I get up off of the couch and pace the room, forcing myself to take deep breaths. They couldn't be doing this, there was no _way_ they could be doing this! And Peeta was there, why didn't he stop this?!

I shake my head and walk upstairs quickly. I need to go somewhere, I need..

I need my mom.

I shove some clothes in a bag and walk downstairs quickly. I don't even bother leaving Peeta a note, I'm upset with him too right now. I walk to the train station, not wanting to bother with a car, and ask for a ticket to District 4.

After a long ride I finally step out of the train, breathing in the cool, salty ocean air. It is welcoming and warm. I even want to smile a bit, just a bit, but the feeling soon goes away and I start to walk. I find my mother's hospital and walk up to the front desk, asking for her. I'm told to go wait in one of the rooms.

When I walk in, I get that uncomfortable feeling I've grown to have around hospital rooms. I sat on the bed, rigid, waiting for my mother to come in. Eventually, she does.

"You're pregnant." Is the first thing she says to me. I nod slowly and she walks over to me.

I don't know exactly why I did it, but I pulled my mother close and hugged her tight, sobbing into her shoulder. It takes her a while to calm me down, and even then I'm still shaky.

"I saw the commercial..." She says softly, stroking my cheek.

I nod, looking down, sniffing a little.

_Snap out of it Katniss, there's no need of this. _

I can't seem to fully stop crying, but my mother doesn't seem to mind. She holds me close, my head to her chest, and hums softly like she did when I was younger.

Like I did with Prim.

And memories of my sister only brings about more tears, and it's a very long time before I'm able to speak clearly with my mother. I talk to her about everything. The wedding, our honeymoon, our trip to the Capitol. By the end of it, it's nearly two in the morning and we're both exhausted.

She brings me back to her house and gives me one of her nightgowns to wear to bed. She makes me tea that she says will be good for the baby and then tucks me in to bed, stroking my hair until I fall asleep.

I wake up in the morning, hearing my mom on the phone.

"Yes... Yes... Of course she's alright... At about five.. No, she hasn't-..." She sighs softly. "Uh-huh... Uh-huh... Peeta, sh-." She sighs again. "Yes, the baby is fine, Peeta. Yes, I'm sure. I had two of my own, you know... Yes. Yes, I will. Okay, you too.." there's a small beep signaling that she hung up the phone.

I close my eyes quickly as she walks into the room. "I know you heard, Katniss." She laughs lightly. "It was Peeta, he was scared out of his mind when you weren't at home."

I sigh. "I don't care. He.. He didn't tell me what was going on! He could have-"

"There's nothing he could have done, Katniss." She says softly. I nod, knowing that was probably true. "Why don't you go home, and I'll come up to visit soon?" I nod again and she kisses my forehead. We both get up.

"I washed your clothes, they're folded in the bathroom. Go take a shower.."

I smile a bit and walk down the hall to the bathroom. I shower slowly, then wait until I'm completely dry to dress, taking as much time as I can. When I come out to the kitchen again she has breakfast cooked for me.

We eat in a comfortable silence. I help her wash the dishes afterwards, and then kiss her cheek before leaving. One long train ride and a short walk later, and I'm back home, standing outside my front door.

**A/N: Sorry guys but I'm leaving it her for tonight :) I FINALLY updated! YAY! I got comments and hits within 5 freaking minutes of posting the last update guys you are amazing.. I don't want to be one of those people who are like 'Oh I need 100 comments for the next chapter' because that's absolute crap. I'm just gonna say PLEASEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE comment because it's what makes me WANT to write more, and any new ideas are SO SO SO appreciated because I really need the inspiration! So pleasee I am BEGGING you to let me know how it's going, if I made any mistakes (because I'm sure I have) [PS anyone want to beta for me haha? :D] if there's anything you think I should do or ANYTHING AT ALL!**

**Please. Love you guys, thanks for still reading :)**


	44. Yet another update

M'kay I'm sorry guys, I'm gonna be a total weiner and just post another update, but I may post chapter 41 tonight.

OKAY! I am going to continue the story, I've got some vague idea where it's gonna go now. I will at least give it a decent ending. I read through like the last 10 chapters of the story so I have an idea what's going on, because to be honest I sort of forgot!

Thank you all so very much for your support, love, and ideas I appreciate it so much. I may not be able to update every single day because I am always so busy with school stuff, and I just got the lead in our play, and loads of other stuff.

PM me or comment with questions, ideas, concerns, or if you just want to talk because it makes my day :)

Shout out to Blondie B. Happy for commenting within TWO minutes of posting! You're awesome :)

ANYWAY! Love you all, and I'll update soon. Ish.

-Ali


	45. Chapter 41

**Peeta**

"Katniss! I'm back!" I call, walking through the front door of our house. "Katniss?" I ask after a moment without a response. I bite my lip and walk upstairs, thinking she's sleeping. When I see the bed is empty, I start to panic.

I run downstairs again to check and see if her hunting gear is gone, but it's leaned against the wall just like usual. I run a hand through my hair nervously, trying to think of where she could be. I pick up the phone and dial Gale's number, hesitating before pressing call.

I'm not sure what to hope for. If she's there, then I know where she is. But she's at Gale's.

If she isn't there, I don't know where the hell she is, and that scares me more than her being with him.

My thoughts are interrupted by Gale picking up the phone, his voice almost hopeful. "Hello?"

"Gale.. It's Peeta."

"Oh." He sounds disappointed now. "Uhh.. What's up?"

"Is Katniss there?" I bite my lip.

"No." He says. "You don't know where she is?" He sounds angry, then amused. "Lost your wife already, Mellark?" I can picture the smirk on his face.

"No." I snap. "I had to go to the Capitol-"

"To plan the Games." Gale says, an edge to his voice. "You know damn well what that's going to do to Katniss, and yet-"

"I voted against it, Gale! I tried to convince them not to, for exactly that reason!"

He sighs.

"Look. I just called to see if Katniss was there. Thank you." I say and hang up the phone, sighing deeply.

I remember something and walk into the kitchen quickly, looking through the drawers until I find a small piece of paper with a phone number on it that Haymitch had given Katniss long ago. I dial the phone and hold it to my ear.

**Katniss**

I hesitate a bit, staring at our front door. Peeta is surely mad at me, rightfully so. But I also havs a right to be mad at him. Maybe..

I sigh, confused. I just need to talk to him. I open the door, stepping inside, and am instantly wrapped in a tight hug.

"I'm so sorry, Katniss.." Peeta murmurs. I sigh softly and shake my head.

"I know it's not your fault.." I wrap my arms around him and hug back tightly.

"I tried to stop them.." He whispers. "I really did..."

I nod, and we stay there for a while. I finally pull away and look at my feet.

"Are you hungry?" He asks softly. I shake my head. "Want to talk?" I shake my head again. He sighs.

"I just, uhh... I think I'm gonna go lay down." I murmur and slowly walk upstairs.

I lay down on the bed, pulling the blanket over myself. I close my eyes, and after a while feel Peeta slide into bed behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist.

"It's gonna be okay... I promise." He whispers.

"No it won't." I whisper, forcing myself not to cry. "It.. W-We're gonna have a baby, a-and it's g-gonna get reaped, and.."

"No it won't.." Peeta murmurs. "We'll make sure it won't.."

"You can't make sure of anything!"

"Katniss... They're still working out how it's going to be done. It might just be Capitol kids..."

I feel a slight relief at the thought of that, but not much. "It's still sick." I mutter.

He nods, and I lean back against him.

"It'll be alright, Katniss.." He whispers.

I want to believe him.

**A/N: SO! Chapter 41!**

**I'm just gonna go ahead and dedicate this chapter to Blondie B. Happy because she is absolutely amazing and always comments and just major love all around.**

**gomez-girl, I would absolutely love to write a story for you! I don't know how I feel about High School AU's, but I'd love to see some other prompts :)**


	46. Chapter 42

**Katniss**

When I wake up in the morning I'm cuddled into Peeta's side. I yawn and try to sit up, only to be pulled close to him again.

"Morning beautiful." He whispers, looking down at me and smiling. I can help but smile back just a little.

"Good morning." I whisper back, and press a soft kiss to his lips before resting my head on his chest.

We lay in silence for a while, the morning light shining through the open window and warming whatever isn't covered by the blankets.

Peeta rubs small circles on my back, his other hand resting protectively on the bump on my stomach. I'm several months along now, and we should be able to go to Dr. Elkhart and find out the gender of our baby. Peeta and I have both said we'd love it to be a boy or girl, but secretly we're both hoping for baby Lilly.

I start to hum quietly, my eyes still closed. I try to forget about the Games, the horror that it's sure to bring. I shut everything out except for the feeling of Peeta's hands and my humming.

After a long while I slowly get up, and this time Peeta lets me. I take his hand as I get out of bed, and we walk downstairs together.

We start to make breakfast together, me working on the eggs and Peeta making some sort of fluffy pastry filled with fruit. I finish well before him, though, and start to cut up the fruit Peeta didn't use, putting it all in a bowl.

I put the food on the table and Peeta brings the plates. We eat until we're full, and clean up the mess. I wash the dishes, and he dries them.

"We should go get more fruit." I say softly. "Berries and whatnot from the woods." Peeta smiles and nods.

After getting dressed and putting on my boots for what feels like the first time in years, we start to walk. Peeta packed a picnic while I got ready, so he carried the basket in one hand, his other holding mine.

We both laughed when Peeta had to help me through the fence, and when he tripped over rocks or roots on our walk.

We stopped at several bushes, slowly filling a small container we had brought with different types of berries. We found a small cluster of apple trees and filled all the spare room in the basket with those as well.

On the way back home we stopped in the meadow to eat our lunch. Once we had finished all that Peeta made we laid there, my head resting on his stomach, his hand in it's usual spot on mine, feeding each other the berries we had picked.

It was well into the afternoon when we got back home. Peeta brought everything to the kitchen to wash the dishes we had used and clean the berries, and I walked out to the backyard to work on the garden.

It took me about an hour to weed all of the beds and pick off all of the dead buds, as I hadn't been out in a while. (Perhaps I took out a bit too much.)

I watered everything and even planted some new seeds, reminding myself to mail Effie and ask for some more.

When I'm done working in the garden my clothes and hands are dirty, and I have to take my shoes off before going inside again.

Peeta is painting in the living room, and smiles when he sees me.

"I'm gonna go take a bath.." I say, walking over to him.

"Good idea.." He laughs, wrapping his arms around my waist.

"Want to join me?" I ask, smiling a bit. "You seem pretty dirty too.."

"Sure.." He smiles and nods, kissing my cheek.

We make our way upstairs and to the bathroom. I get the water to the right temperature and fill the tub, and we both undress and climb in.

"Remember the first time we did this?" I laugh softly, sitting in front of him as he washes my hair.

"You were much more self-conscious.." He murmurs, running his fingers through my hair. "It's gotten long again..." He smiles.

I nod, closing my eyes as he rinses all of the soap out. I turn around and start to wash his hair, laughing a little.

"What?" He smiles, eyes closed.

"I think you need a haircut.." I said softly. "Getting kinda long.."

"As long as you don't do it." He laughs and I smack his arm gently. "Hey.. I was joking." He pouts. "You know I'd led you cut my hair if you really wanted to."

When I'm done washing his hair I work on scrubbing the paint off of his hands. "What were you painting today?" I asked.

"You." He said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "And how beautiful you looked in the meadow today."

I smiled and blushed a little, kissing his cheek. "Thank you."

He nodded, and when his hands were all clean he began to wash mine.

We stayed in the tub until the water was cold, then we got out. I got dressed with him, putting on sweatpants and one of his shirts.

For dinner we ate cupcakes Peeta had made while I was working outside, and apples. We went back out to the garden afterwards and laid on the grass, Peeta pointing out constellations to me for hours until I slowly began to fall asleep.

Half asleep, I felt Peeta pick me up carefully and carry me inside, up to the bedroom. He gently laid me down, and I cuddled into his warm chest. He wrapped his arms around me securely, and we both fell asleep.

**A/N**

**Okay! Pointless fluff all around, this chapter was actually quite fun to write :) I'll probably update later again today. **

**kiana****, Thank you SO much! You comment was so sweet! :) I would love to be a writer, but realistically.. Probably not :/**

**Blondie B Happy- Here's the update! Haha what did you think?**

**Those were all the comments, I'll respond if you post it! Haha OH! GabrielleGABRIELLE how was the summary?**

**Umm.. Do you guys even read these? If you do comment... "dinglehopper" BONUS POINTS if you know what it's from ;)**

**LOVE YOU! **


	47. Chapter 43

**Katniss**

I wake up in the middle of the night, with Peeta shaking me and a loud noise in my ears. It takes me a second to realize the noise is the sound of me screaming, and that I'm holding the sheets so tightly they're ripping.

"Shh... Shh Katniss calm down please.." Peeta whispered close to my ear, placing his hands over mine gently.

I stop screaming but keep my eyes shut tightly, afraid of the tears that will spill when I open them. Peeta rubs the back of my hands, pressing gentle kisses to my temple and cheek. My hands relax slowly and I let go of the sheets, my fingers slipping between Peeta's.

We lay there in silence a while, unmoving. My breathing gradually calms down and becomes normal again, and I let go of Peeta's hands to slip my arms under his, pulling him down closer to me, sighing softly.

"Thank you.." I whisper, pressing my hands to his shoulder blades to keep them from shaking. He nods, wrapping his arms around my waist almost carefully.

"Of course." He whispers.

I don't feel like I fall asleep, but I'm woken up in the morning by a gentle kiss on my cheek.

"Mm?" I hum sleepily.

"I'm going to work.." Peeta murmurs. "I'll make sure to come home early, though. Breakfast is ready downstairs when you want it."

He presses his lips to mine for a short second before running downstairs and outside. I sigh softly and roll over onto my side, rubbing small, gentle circles on my stomach. I close my eyes shut tightly, trying to block out the thoughts of my nightmare last night. Watching our child on television, being ripped apart by mutts, my heart started to speed up again just at the thought of it.

"Shh.." I whisper, trying to calm myself. "It'll be alright..." I look down to the bump on my stomach. "You'll be alright.."

I get out of bed a while later, and walk slowly down to the kitchen. The dishes that Peeta used to cook the large breakfast are all washed, and set neatly in the sink to dry. I smile.

I fill a plate with food and go outside, sitting in the garden to eat it. I think of how nice it would be to have a bench out here, or a large swing I could sit in to do this. Somewhere Peeta and I could sit to talk, or just look at the stars.

I add that to my list of things to do, behind mailing Effie about more seeds. I bring my now empty plate back inside and set it on the counter before putting all of the clean dishes away. I put away the food that I didn't eat, leaving out the pastries from today and yesterday in a basket on the counter.

I looked at the clock, and figured I'd have enough time to do some quick work in the garden, write the letter, and cook a nice lunch before Peeta got home.

I start outside in the garden, humming as I weed and water. I laugh softly to myself, hearing the geese next door in Haymitch's yard. I walk inside when I'm done and shower quickly, getting dressed in jeans (which is harder and harder to do each day,) and an old shirt. I go back downstairs and sit at the table with a pen and piece of paper.

_Dear Effie,_

_Thank you very much for sending the first batch of seeds a while ago, the garden is doing very well. I was wondering if you could please send another order form, we would like more. _

_Thank you very much,_

_Katniss_

I sigh, knowing I should have said more, but I don't really have the time to write out a long letter now. I want to cook.

I neatly write her address on the front and put a stamp in the corner of an envelope, walking outside to put the letter in the mailbox.

When I get back in I quickly move around the kitchen, trying to figure out what to make. I open up the refrigerator and take out chicken breasts, what's left of the berries from yesterday, and rice out of the cupboard. I cut up the chicken and put it in a pan to cook, and start to boil the rice.

While that's cooking I put some of the berries in a dish and carefully mix them with honey and sugar before putting them back in the fridge.

I finish cooking the rice and chicken and turn the stove off. I carefully plate the food and set it on the counter to cool off while I wash the dirty dishes.

I'm fishing around in the water for another dish to wash and find something. I pull it up quickly and feel a sharp pain, looking down to see I've cut myself with the knife.

"Genius..." I mumble and drop it back in the water, grabbing a towel and holding it to my wrist. The cut annoys me far worse than actually hurting. When I stop bleeding I _carefully_ finish washing the dishes and put all the food on the table.

I sit at the table for a few minutes, waiting for Peeta to come home, but realize the chairs are really uncomfortable to wait for someone in, so I go and sit on the couch. I lay down, not daring to turn on the television because of what happened last time I did.

A while later I hear the front door open. "Katniss?" Peeta calls out.

"In here!" I sit up, and he smiles at he. He walks over and I get up from the couch, meeting him halfway with a hug.

"I'm sorry I had to leave today.." He mumbles into my hair.

"It's fine.." I say softly, closing my eyes and hugging him tightly.

"I made dinner.." I say after a while and pull away.

"I smell it." He smiles, and we both walk into the dining room.

After supper and halfway through dessert Peeta stops eating, staring at me. Afraid he's having one of his flashbacks I carefully set down my fork. "Peeta? What is it?" I ask gently.

"Your wrist.." He says, an almost pained expression on his face. "D-Did you.."

My eyes widen. "What?! God no!"

"A-Are you sure, I mean... Your _wrist_-"

"I was washing dishes and wasn't careful enough with one of the knives." I say, getting up.

"I.. Katniss, if you-"

"Stop, Peeta." I say, cutting him off. "Just stop. Seriously. I wouldn't do something like that, I'm _pregnant_ for God's sakes!"

He sighs and I walk past him, upstairs, and slam our bedroom door shut.

"Katniss?" Peeta asks about an hour later, knocking on the door. "Katniss I'm sorry..."

I throw a pillow at the door. "Go away!" I say, sounding like a child. I don't care how pathetic I sound, Peeta was being ignorant and I'm upset.

He sighs. "I'll sleep on the couch.." He mumbles and walks downstairs again.

I wait for him to come back up and sleep on the bed, but he doesn't. After a while I climb out of bed and walk downstairs quietly.

Peeta is curled up on the couch, shirtless, staring at the wall. "I'm sorry.." I whispered, walking over to the couch. "You can come upstairs."

I reach out to touch his arm but he grabs my hand suddenly, too tightly, and it hurts. "P-Peeta.."

"Shut up." He snaps. "You.." He looks down at my stomach, and lets out a dry, humorless laugh. "You've even made it look like you're pregnant for the Quell.."

"Peeta, I am pregnant." I try to explain. "W-With your-"

"You don't give a damn about me!" He shouts, and shoves me away roughly before standing up.

"I love you! Please, please.." He looms over me, looking angrier and scarier than I've ever seem him. I stand up on shaky legs and look him in the eyes. "Peeta, wake up.."

I hear a crack before white-hot pain sears through my cheek. He hasn't _hit_ me before. I hold my cheek and try to move away, but he pins me to the wall.

"And as for your little getup here.." He reaches up towards my stomach. I can't let him hurt the baby.

I bring my knee up as hard as I can between his legs and he falls to the ground with a loud groan. I seize the opportunity to run upstairs and lock myself not only in the bedroom, but in the bathroom connected to it.

I hear footsteps soon after and pounding on the bedroom door. "Open the door!" He yells. I squeeze my eyes shut and force myself to take slow breaths.

_He will calm down. This will be okay. It will be fine, just breathe..._

I try to block out Peeta's shouts, covering my ears and humming. Slowly, the pounding and shouting stops. I don't dare get up, though. I end up falling asleep in the bathtub, using a towel as a pillow.

In the morning I get up and cautiously open the bedroom door. Peeta is sitting on the top step, head in his hands, crying. He hears me and sits up straight, wiping his cheeks.

"K-Katniss I'm so sorry.." He sniffs and I sit next to him, wrapping my arms around his torso.

"It.. It's fine.. It wasn't _you_, Peeta.."

He shakes his head. "I r-remember m-most of it..."

I rub his back slowly. "Shh... We don't have to talk about it, okay?" I whisper. "Come on, let's go get you some food, we can even go eat out in the garden.."

He shakes his head and stands up. "I.. I've got to... I can't be near you right now." He whispers. Seeing the hurt in my eyes, he sighs. "I feel so, _so_ guilty you can't even imagine.."

"It's fine, I promise.." I say, standing up and taking his hands. "Please don't go, I need you right now..."

He bites lip, but reluctantly nose and wraps his arms around me. I hug him back tightly.

"I love you.." I whisper.

"I love you too."

**A/N Long chapter! YAY! Thank you all so much for commenting! :D It means a lot! I've been busy but I'll have this weekend to write so yay!**


	48. Chapter 44

**Katniss**

We spend most of the next few days in silence. Peeta shuts himself in the art room for hours, only coming out when I tell him I've finished cooking something, or to go to bed. He absolutely refuses to touch me. We were washing dishes and when he touched my arm on the way to grab a plate he looked as upset about as if he'd just hit me again.

Late one night we're laying in bed, silent as usual. I'm awake and staring at the wall, and I know he is too. I sigh and sit up, moving closer to Peeta before laying back down again. He tenses up when I place my hand on his chest, and tries to move away when I move so our bodies are touching.

"Please don't.." I whisper, taking his hand and holding it tightly.

"Katniss, I.. I don't want to-"

"You're not going to hurt me." I say softly. I take his hand and rest it on my cheek. After a moment of showing him that he wasn't going to do anything, I slowly lower his hand to my stomach. He tries to pull away but I don't let him, placing his hand on my stomach where it usually goes.

We both stay very still for a long time before I speak up again.

"See?" I whisper. "You aren't going to hurt me, or our baby.."

He stares down at my stomach and I take my hand away, but his stays on my stomach. He slowly nods and pulls me into a hug. I smile a little and hug him back, resting my head on his shoulder.

"I love you." He whispers and kisses my cheek.

"I love you too." I whisper back, closing my eyes.

We lay back down, cuddled close together, and he rubs my back as we both fall asleep.

Two days later is our appointment with Dr. Elkhart. Peeta wakes me up with a kiss and a smile, and I can't help but smile back because he looks happier than he has in a while.

"Are you ready?" he asks, excited like a child. I laugh lightly.

"I'm going to get dressed before we go, but yes..."

"Dr. Elkhart doesn't care what you wear!" He says and helps me out of bed. I shake my head, smiling.

"I care!"

After we both get dressed and eat breakfast, which Peeta claims is a waste of precious time, and I have to remind him out appointment isn't even for another hour.

Hand in hand we walk to her office, Peeta practically bouncing with excitement the whole way there. We sit in the waiting room patiently before we're called into her room. I lay down on the table with Peeta sitting next to me, holding my hand.

Dr. Elkhart asks questions like normal before setting things up for the ultrasound. I squeeze Peeta's hand nervously as she lifts my shirt and presses the "wand" to my bare stomach.

"There.." She says softly after a while, turning the screen so it's facing us. She points out various things on it, and I don't understand any of what she's saying until "Congratulations, you are having a baby girl."

I smile widely and so does Peeta. I don't fail to notice the tears in his eyes and lean over, kissing him softly.

Dr. Elkhart finishes up the checkup, and we thank her quite a bit before leaving.

Peeta pulls me close once we're outside and kisses me. I smile against his lips and kiss him back for a moment before pulling away. He rests his forehead against mine.

"We're having a baby.." He breathes, and I nod, smiling.

We walk home slowly, and I lean on Peeta as we walk. We walk around the back of the house and lay next to each other in the garden, looking up at the clouds.

"Eloise." I say softly.

"Hmm... I'm thinking more of a Jane." He smiles.

"Really?" He nods. "No.. I'd pick Effie over Jane." I laugh, and he laughs with me.

"What's wrong with Jane?" He looks down at me.

"I dunno." I shrug. "I just don't like it as much as, say... Lilly." I smile.

"I like Lilly." He says, and pulls me closer. I smile and kiss his cheek.

"Lilly Jane Mellark." I say, and he smiles.

"Lilly Jane Mellark." He nods.

The next morning we are woken up by a loud knocking on our door. I sit up quickly, and so does Peeta, scared. I start to get up but he shakes his head. "Stay here.." He says, walking downstairs.

I wait nervously, biting my lip, until I hear a loud "Peeta darling!" in an all-too familiar voice. I get out of bed and walk downstairs to find Effie in a ridiculous poofy dress and a bright blue wig that matches her lipstick, walking around Peeta as if she was examining him.

"You really must cut your hair darling, why are you so slouched over like that?" Effie set her hands on Peeta's shoulders and pulled them back so he was standing up straight. "That's better, now go change into some clean pants and _please_ don't forget a shirt this time!"

She pushes him towards the stairs and I laugh, causing her to look right at me.

"Katniss!" She smiles and hurries over, giving me a hug. I smile and hug her back tightly, Peeta mumbling something under his breath as he walks up to the bedroom to get changed.

"You're looking lovely!" I can tell her smile is forced as she takes in my pajamas, and unbrushed hair. "I hear your little baby is a girl!"

I frown. "Where did you hear that?"

"Oh, you know, it's just talk around the Capitol." She says, dismissing it with a wave and leading me over to the couch. "Now, where is the nursery going to be?" She asked.

"Uh, probably in the bedroom next to ours, it's a guest room now-"

"Lovely!" She stands up again, pulling me up with her and walking over to Peeta who has just gotten downstairs. "Now, we're going to go across the street to where I'm staying and I'll show you two some presents I brought!" She sings, and walks outside with us.

I really don't see why she can't just give us the gifts at our house, but I know it's best not to question Effie. She pushes us into her living room and onto the couch.

"Are the seeds our gift?" I ask.

"I brought the silly seeds, but your gift is far better." She says, gesturing to a large box against the wall that I hadn't noticed.

"Can.. We open it?" Peeta asks, standing up.

"I will open it and show you what is inside, just be patient." She says and he sits back down with a sigh.

Effie walks over to the box and opens it carefully. I sigh, just wanting to be in bed, when she pulls out what looks like a frilly pillow.

"What's that?" I laugh.

"It's a dress for the baby!" She smiles, and holds it out in front of her so I can see that it is, indeed, a dress. It's lacy and poofy and looks terribly uncomfortable.

"Ohh.." I say. "T-Thank you Effie."

"I'm not done yet!" She smiles, setting it carefully on the table before pulling out another dress.

By the end of the whole thing she has shown us dresses, shirts, pants, jackets, shoes, winter clothes, hats, even gloves for our baby.

"Thank you very much, Effie." Peeta smiles, standing up. "But the baby isn't gonna be big enough to wear all of these for a while..."

"Oh! Of course, that's why we have these."

She then pulled out a box from the bigger box, with tons of one-piece baby pajamas.

"There we go." He chuckled softly, taking the box from her. "Thank you."

Effie insisted that we stay over at her house all day, asking questions about the baby. We wouldn't tell her the name, and didn't really know answers to a lot of her other questions. She also brought clothes for me to wear, comfortable stretchy pants and loose-fitting shirts.

"How are we gonna get all of this home?" I ask, laughing.

"Oh, well, the workers are coming back over now so I suppose they'll help you." She smiles.

"W-Workers? Why were there workers at our house, Effie?"

"To set up the nursery, of course!" She smiles and ushers us both out the door and back across the street.

When we're inside we walk upstairs and to what used to be the guest room.

The room is still the same white, but with a new, soft pink rug, and a matching white crib, dresser, and rocking chair. There are stuffed animals in the drib and on the chair, and there are small, plush stars hanging from the ceiling.

"Those glow when you turn the lights off." Effie smiles proudly.

"Wow.." I breathe. "Effie this is... Thank you."

"Of course." She smiles, and hugs us both.

We talk in the kitchen for a while after everything is all moved in. Effie eventually leaves, though, saying she has to 'make sure Haymitch is functioning properly'. Then, Peeta and I are alone again. We go upstairs, exhausted like anybody is after spending a day with Effie, and go to bed.

**A/N:**

**So! Sort of a filler chapter, not a whole lot really happened... Definitely not my favorite chapter. I may update later..**

**Which chapters do you guys like better, the fluffy ones or the angsty ones? Comment and let me know! **


	49. Chapter 45

**Katniss**

When I wake up in the morning, Peeta is in the kitchen, cooking breakfast. I walk downstairs, coming up behind him and wrapping my arms around his waist.

"Good morning.." I murmur, closing my eyes and pressing my face into the back of his shirt.

"Morning." He says, smiling. He turns off the stove and turns around, wrapping his arms around my waist.

"Do you have to work today?" I ask and he shakes his head, still smiling. I smile as well.

"We have the day to ourselves.." He says. "To plant the new seeds, go for another walk.."

"Laugh at how ridiculous the new clothes Effie brought are.." I giggle and he nods, laughing a bit.

After breakfast I wash the dishes, and Peeta goes upstairs to shower. As I'm putting the dishes away, I frown, noticing that the knives aren't there.

"Peeta?" I call upstairs. "Can you come down here?"

After a couple minutes he comes downstairs, dressed in clean clothes, hair still wet.

"What is it?" He asks, smiling.

"Where are the knives?" I ask, crossing my arms and leaning against the counter. His smile quickly goes away.

"I, uhh.. I put them away." He says, biting his lip.

"I need those to cook, Peeta." I say. "If this is about the stupid cut-"

"It's not stupid, Katniss... It's serious, if you're harming yourself in any way-"

"I'm not, though!" I almost shout. "Why don't you believe me?!"

He sighs. "I'm just being cautious."

I shake my head and walk upstairs, past him. I shut the bedroom door and get dressed quickly before walking downstairs and outside.

"Where are you going?" Peeta asks, walking outside after me.

"Oh, you know, just gonna go harm myself in the woods." I mutter, walking faster than him. He sighs and gives up, walking back inside the house.

I spend all day out in the woods, walking around. I wish I had thought to bring by bow, but I know I'm way too loud anyway, and scare everything off. I can't climb any trees, either. I end up sitting under a large tree, my legs tired. I sigh and close my eyes, knowing I'd much rather be in my bed, but not wanting to have to deal with Peeta.

I eventually get up and walk back home. Peeta has locked himself up in the art room, so I didn't have to talk to him before walking upstairs to the bedroom. I kick off my shoes and lay down in bed, sighing. I close my eyes, and try to fall asleep.

Peeta and I sit across from each other at the table, eating dinner he made. I pick at my food quietly, not eating much of it.

"What's wrong?" He asks.

"I can't even cut up my own meat anymore.." I mumble. "It's ridiculous."

"It's for your own safety.." Peeta says. I roll my eyes, and continue to eat. "You still use butter knives, though."

"You can still do some serious damage with them.." I mumbled.

And that's how I lost butter knives.

**A/N**

**Guysssssss**

**I seriously have no inspiration I've been sitting here for like two hours trying to figure out what else to write and I just can't. **


	50. Chapter 46

**Chapter 46**

**Katniss**

Peeta and I have reached an agreement. He has put the knives back in the house, but has put locks on the drawers. He says that he is "just baby proofing", but the baby isn't due for another three months. I am allowed to use the knives to cook, but only when he is around to "help".

Right now, Peeta is in the Capitol for another meeting about the Games. I'm in the middle of the kitchen, trying to force the knife drawer open so I can cook myself a proper dinner.

"Dammit!" I shout, giving up and taking a step back. I get my shoes on and walk next door, walking into Haymitch's house. He never answers the door when I knock, and always tells me just to let myself in anyway.

I'm greeted by the sight of him and Effie, on the living room floor, naked.

I turn quickly and practically run back over to my house, not caring that I didn't have the knives. I wasn't hungry anymore anyway.

**Peeta**

"How about there aren't any victors?" Johanna offers. "Last one standing gets killed by some big surprise attack at the end?"

"Yeah, but that goes against the entire purpose of the Games." Beetee says. "I think it should be just Capitol children.."

"Or all careers." Johanna says. "I mean, send in the ones who train for it."

"It could be just criminals." Enobria offers.

"Yeah, that's a good idea." Johanna smirks. "Then we could kill them all in the end!"

I sigh, shaking my head.

"Anything to say, Mellark?" Johanna raises an eyebrow.

"I still think it's ridiculous to bring the Games back! I mean-"

"We are going to have the Games again Peeta, it has been decided and it is a final."

I cross my arms and sit back in my chair as they start planning how they're going to go about hiring new gamemakers.

I look up and notice Annie sitting directly across from me. She looks pale, and tired.

"What about you?" Johanna asked.

"I don't like any of this." Annie said quietly. "I'm completely with Peeta on this one. Finnick wouldn't have liked it either."

"Your boyfriend is dead." Johanna said, and edge to her voice. "It sucks, we all miss him, but he's gone and it doesn't matter what he would have liked or would not have liked because he's _dead _and he's not coming back!"

"Johanna that's enough!" I shout, standing up. Annie looks for a second like she's about to cry, then she takes a deep breath. It's a while before she speaks.

"Husband." She says quietly. "Not boyfriend. Finnick and I were married."

Then, she gets up and walks out. Johanna's eyes look guilty, but she hides it with a smirk and folds her arms across her chest.

"What he hell was that Johanna?!" I shout.

"She needed to stop talking about him, she's not making any useful contributions to the meeting."

"That was the first time she talked the whole time! And I'm not making contributions, either!"

"Would you like to leave?" She asks. "The door's right there."

I sigh and sit back down. I know I can't leave, I need to at least know what's going on so I can tell Katniss.

"I like the just criminals idea." I finally said quietly after a while. If we were going to have a Games, at least there was a chance there wouldn't be children involved.

**Katniss**

Giving up on cooking anything decent, or even wanting food, I go about my daily routine. Gardening, shower, go for a walk... On my way home I see someone standing outside of my door and start to worry.

_Is it someone from the Capitol? Oh God they've come to tell me that Peeta was killed or-_

The man turned around and I stopped when I saw who it was.

_Gale._

**A/N Haha I think this is like the third time I've ended a chapter like thise xD**

**I am so out of plot ideas -_- **


	51. Chapter 51

Okay.

I'm not even going to try to apologize this time. I simply _cannot_ write.

I can't do it.

I've tried, and tried and tried but...

I can't.

At all.


End file.
